My Life Is A Zoo

Drumroll please.....

2011-09-15T08:45:00.001-05:00

The 2011 Scentsy Holiday Catalog is now available!!!!! There are lots of fun holiday warmers, plug ins and a brand new polar bear Scentsy Buddy! These items are only available for a limited time so get them before they're gone!

Introducing......

2011-09-14T18:38:00.001-05:00

my new Ridgeback puppy....

RiverRun's Dragon of the Night Sky over Spring Valley!

He's been in my house now for a week and I love him to pieces! Even Tori is coming around (and I have video to prove it! See below! :-))

UPDATE: Rudy

2011-09-14T18:34:00.000-05:00

I just realized that I hadn't updated y'all on Rudy. We did find transport for him and he is now happily hanging out in his foster home waiting for his perfect forever home!!!

Transport help needed - Aug 11 - Lake Charles, LA to Mobile, AL

2011-08-06T18:19:00.000-05:00

Rudy is a RR mix that was pulled off the streets of Houston ~10 days ago by myself and another RRUS volunteer. Since then he has been staying with me in Houston, TX but I cannot keep him until he finds his forever home. An RRUS member who lives in Orlando, FL has opened her home to him. Now we need help getting him there. We have all of the legs filled EXCEPT the one from Lake Charles, LA to Mobile, AL. If there is anyone who can help or if you know someone who could possibly help, we would truly appreciate it!

Benefit Auction for a friend

2011-07-20T15:03:00.002-05:00

One of my good friend's (and fellow Ridgeback person), Liz Druitt, broke both of her wrists ~10 days ago. She also had to have surgery on both of her wrists. One wrist will be casted for 4-6 weeks and the other for 12! While this is bad news for just about anyone...it's especially bad for her as she works with her hands. She is both a professional gardener and a jewelry designer. So...since she will be unable to work for awhile, her friends have put together an auction. There are LOTS of neat items (books, note cards, jewelery (LOTS of jewelry), unique magnets, paintings and more) so please check it out! The auction started today and will run through midnight on Saturday so bid high and bid often!

Ridgeback Rescue Fundraiser

2011-03-24T17:08:00.000-05:00

From now until March 31, 2011, Pacific Northwest Soaps is donating a portion of their sales to one of three Ridgeback Rescues (Ridgeback Rescue of the US, Rhodesian Ridgeback Rescue, Inc and Ridgeback Rescue of Northern California). Before you start shopping, make sure you choose from the drop-down menu which Rescue you wish your purchase to go towards. All three groups work hard to help Ridgebacks in need so no matter which group you choose, your donation will be appreciated and put to good use! And you get some great soap as well!

Best Friends

2011-03-23T15:20:00.001-05:00

Tori (Rhodesian Ridgeback) and Tom (Domestic Shorthair) don't care that they look different from each other. All they know is that they like each other. And for those of you who continue to insist that dogs and cats can't be friends? Look at this photo and tell me again!

This photo was not staged in any way, shape or form. I got up from the couch and when I came back, this is what I found. They CHOSE to sleep in this position (and before anyone tries to tell me that Tori is sleeping with one eye open so she can keep an eye on the cat, she's not. She's watching me because she knows I am taking her picture, one. more. time. and she's tired of it. :-))

Listening to your dog

2011-03-23T11:16:00.002-05:00

So apparently Wellness Dog Food and my dogs don't like each other. Or rather my dogs liked Wellness just fine, it just didn't like them! For those of you who don't know, I normally feed Flint River Ranch. My dogs love it and they do great on it. I also love the fact that I can have it automatically shipped directly to me (with FREE shipping!) from Feed My Pet. I have it shipped to me every 6 weeks. This usually lasts the dogs fine but, on occasion, it doesn't and I supplement with a different food that I can buy at the local pet or grocery store.

So, I ran out of Flint River Ranch early last month and I chose to feed Wellness this time until my next order arrives. I have always heard good things about Wellness Dog Food and figured, why not give it a try? Well, now the fun begins. Everything went fine for a little while and then I started seeing some changes in the dogs behavior. Shortly after switching Sadie started to eat (prepare for grossness) poop and then a few days ago I caught Tori eating dirt! Yikes! Both dogs were also pooping more. Something was definitely not right. Hmmmm....the only major change was the dog food. And my FRR doesn't arrive until next week. Now what do I do? Well, I'll tell you what I did. I took myself down to the local PetCo and bought some Purina ONE Sensitive Stomach. Both dogs are MUCH better this morning after only two meals with the Purina ONE.

I did not initially connect Sadie eating poop with the food switch, however, after two meals of Purina ONE she is no longer hunting the back yard for (ick) poop. And I also haven't seen Tori eating dirt. I'm not saying that Wellness isn't a good food because it is. What I *am* saying is that it wasn't right for my dogs. Just because the food is high quality DOESN'T mean it's right for every dog. Listen to you dog. I can't wait until my FRR comes in next week...

Paperback Swap

2011-03-23T10:19:00.000-05:00

Paperback Swap is a great way to trade books you've already read (and have no desire to read again) for new books! I've been a member for about 3 years and have really enjoyed the opportunity to read books that I wouldn't normally read. You know, those books that look interesting but you're not sure they're worth paying 8 or 9 or 24 dollars for? We ALL have those books! Well, PBS gives you the chance to read those books without paying a bunch of money. Any books mailed to you, you don't pay for. In exchange, you pay the shipping for any books requested from you. Shipping is usually only a few dollars if you use Media Mail. And for each book you mail, you get a credit you can use to request a book from another member. I've recently started going through my bookshelves and have posted a bunch more books. My bookshelves were overflowing with books that I enjoyed reading but will likely not read again anytime soon. So, if you've got books you want to exchange for other books, check out this site! :-) (And just because it's called Paperback Swap doesn't mean it's only paperbacks. You can also trade Hardback books!)

Scentsy Party!

2011-03-20T15:58:00.000-05:00

Do you love the smell of candles but won't light them because you're worried your curious Ridgeback will burn their nose or set the house on fire with a careless wag of their tail? If you're like me, you are! And that is why I decided to start buying Scentsy products. And I love them so much, I decided to go ahead and sell them too! Scentsy is a line of wickless candles that are perfect for pet owners! Instead of lighting a candle to make the house smell nice, you melt the wax in a warmer using a low wattage light bulb. Scentsy has over 80 scents and over 80 styles of warmers (full size, mid-size and plug-ins). They also sell scent circles for your car, hand sanitizers, stuffed animals, room sprays and scent paks (perfect for gym or school lockers or your closet at home!).

There are three ways you can purchase Scentsy products:

a) host a home party (Houston, TX area residents only) - I will come to your house and talk with you and your friends about Scentsy. I will bring a variety of Scentsy products, testers of the available scents, catalogs and order forms. This party also comes with an online catalog (for the duration of the party) so any friends or family who can't make the party can still order from you. Every order over $150 comes with free shipping! A few days after the party, I'll in put all the orders and close out the party.

b) host a basket party (anyone within the US) - I will mail you testers of the available scents, a room spray, catalogs and order forms. If you do not have a Scentsy warmer, I can also mail you one of those plus a scent so you can show your friends and family how it works. I will also provide you with any support you need. This party typically last 7-14 days. It also comes with an online catalog (for the duration of the party) so any friends or family who don't live near you can still purchase. All you have to do is show your friends, family and coworkers your Scentsy products. Scentsy tends to sell itself pretty easily so have some friends over for a movie night and start up a warmer. Or take the catalog to work and let your friends look at it. Pretty simple! At the end of the party, you mail everything back to me (completed order forms, money, testers, etc) and I'll submit the orders, including your free and half price items to Scentsy. All orders NOT ordered through the party's online catalog will ship to you (unless it specifies otherwise on the order form) and then you take it to the friend or family who ordered it. Again, any orders over $150 will receive free shipping. So if I input over $150 in orders for your party (and the total order gets shipped to you) there is no shipping charge on those orders.

c) order through my website - if you don't want to host a party you can still buy Scentsy products! All you have to do is go to my website, click on "buy" and order whatever you want! It will be shipped directly to you. :-) If I have an open party (which I currently do! Open until March 30, 2011!! Click here to go directly to the party's page. :-)) you can click on the link next to it to shop as well!

There are , of course, benefits to hosting a party vs ordering from my website. The main ones are:

Once the party reaches $150 in sales (not including tax or s/h) you start receiving credit you can use to buy Scentsy products. Of course, the more you sell, the more you get. If you sell $150-$249 you get 10% in credit plus 1 half price item. $250-$399 you get 10% in credit plus 2 half price items, $400-$999 - 15% in credit plus 3 half price items, $1000 or more - 15% in credit plus 4 half price items. So if you sell $150 at your party, you get a credit of $15 to spend on Scentsy products and the option to purchase 1 item at half-price. If you sell $380 worth of product you get $38 in credit plus the option to purchase 2 items at half price. So the more you sell, the more you get! :-)

Sadie Update

2011-03-20T15:45:00.001-05:00

I took Sadie to the vet last Thursday for blood work and because her current dose of Phenobarbital no longer appeared to be controlling her seizures (2 seizures in just over 3 days!). I got the results yesterday. Her blood work looks good (Yay!!! No liver issues yet) and her phenobarbital level was 25 (needs to be between 15 and 40). Since the seizures were coming more and more frequently on her current dose, and there was room to increase before maxing out, Dr H decided to up her dosage of phenobarbital. Let's hope this works!

Japan

2011-03-17T17:13:00.012-05:00

As the world community watched the disaster unfold in Japan many of us were wondering What can we do? We are only one or two or three people. What can we do to help the people and animals of Japan? Well, here's one thing you can do. You can donate $1 to World Vets. If every one of us donated $1 single dollar imagine how many animals could be saved? Imagine how grateful they would be. Imagine how grateful you would be if you had lost everything but your dog or cat was saved because someone donated a dollar to an organization that could help them. For some of these people, their pet is all they have now. So give up your Starbucks coffee for one day, or you McDonald's lunch. Eat at home one extra night this week. Or just donate a dollar. That's all you have to do and, for many of us, that's all we can do. But it's something. And it matters to every single animal that's saved by World Vets. And it matters to the people of Japan. If for some reason the ChipIn link isn't working, go to World Vets directly and click on the Donate button. The people of Japan will thank you!

And before anyone thinks that I'm just preaching here, that I'm not putting my money where my mouth is, yes I donated. In fact, I chose to do a recurring donation to World Vets. But I'm not asking you to do that. I'm only asking for a one time donation of $1. That's it. :-)

Sadie Update

2011-03-17T16:03:00.000-05:00

Dr H said that her being in estrus could have possibly altered her threshold. However, she started having seizures again before coming into estrus (which was the beginning of March). She had one in both Jan and Feb as well as the 2 this week. He considers one seizure a month as too often. He would like to see more time between seizures or no seizures at all. So. We took blood to a) check her phenobarbital levels and b) check her liver/kidney/etc values. He reminded me that technically she is on a higher dose than when she started the phenobarbital last Oct. We never changed her dosage as she lost weight and back in Oct she weighed 94 pounds and now she's a svelte 79. However, the dosage she's on isn't doing the job. So...after we get the results from the blood work (tomorrow sometime) he is going to either a) increase her dose or b) add another drug. And that's where we stand now.

Sadie again

2011-03-17T08:30:00.000-05:00

And as if my life weren't interesting enough, Sadie is now in estrous so she gets to wear these whenever she's out and about in the house! I now know for a fact that I have no desire to ever have an intact bitch again! lol

Seizures...

2011-03-17T08:19:00.000-05:00

Sadie's now had two seizures in just over 3 days. This can't possibly be good. At some point something's got to give and if the seizures keep coming with more and more frequency, I'm going to have to make a quality of life decision. :-(

For those of you who don't know Sadie, let me introduce you. Sadie is a 13, going on 14, year old Rhodesian Ridgeback that I adopted from a shelter in Miami, FL. Her owner had died and that's what she got out of the deal. Dropped off at the shelter. But, it could've been worse. Her owner wanted her euthanized when he died so at least his heirs gave her a chance by taking her to the shelter. After several days, lots of phone calls and lots of good Samaritans (one of whom spent hours at the shelter every day trying to get her out and several who drove her the several hundred miles to get her to me) she arrived in Houston at the end of Sept. And ten days later, give or take, she had her first seizure. Or at least the first seizure we were aware of. And then 20 hours later she had another one. So off to the vet we went and after blood work, xrays and a thorough check up she was started on phenobarbital. And she was seizure free until January. Then, ~5 weeks after that one, she had another one. And then 3 weeks later another one. And then 3 days later this one, at 630 in the morning. And these are just the seizures I know about. It's entirely possible she's had more while I was at work. So, today we are off to the vet. Since she's due for blood work anyways I figured why not do it today? I'll let everyone know what Dr H says.

Lure Coursing

2011-03-16T17:09:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday Tori and I attended a lure coursing event, our second one ever! We got there late but just in time for the Best in Field run and the fun runs. Here are a couple of photos I took. The rest can be viewed on my here, on my Flickr page.

Greyhound on his *first ever run*! This dog is not from the track and has never chased a lure!

A 10 month old Ridgeback on a fun run. :-)

Borzoi "catching" the lure and being greeted by his owner. :-)

10 month old Ridgback puppy giving her owner some love.

A Silken Windhound. My first time ever seeing the breed in person!

Scentsy

2011-03-16T16:17:00.001-05:00

I've recently become an Independent Consultant for Scentsy, Inc. I love this product! For those of you who know me, you know that's true or I would never have agreed to sell it. :-) Visit my website to read my Scentsy story!

Love the smell of scented candles but won't light them because you're worried your curious Ridgeback will burn their nose or the set the house on fire? If you're like me, you are! And that is why I decided to sell Scentsy. Scentsy is a line of wickless candles that are perfect for pet owners! Instead of lighting a candle to make the house smell nice, you melt the wax in a warmer using a low wattage light bulb. Scentsy has over 80 scents and over 80 styles of warmers (full size, mid-size and plug-ins). They also sell scent circles for your car, hand sanitizers, stuffed animals, room sprays and scent paks (perfect for gym or school lockers or your closet at home!).

There are three ways you can purchase Scentsy products:

c) order through my website - if you don't want to host a party you can still buy Scentsy products! All you have to do is go to my website (https://sibtigre2.scentsy.us/), click on "buy" and order whatever you want! It will be shipped directly to you. :-)

Benefits of doing a party vs ordering from my website are:

If you're interested in hosting a party, or in joining Scentsy, please message me! I love my hosts, hostesses and consultants! I also love referrals. If you know someone who loves candles, they'll also love Scentsy! And Scentsy is much safer than traditional candles. :-)

Susan Shepard

Independent Scentsy Consultant

sibtigre2@earthlink.net

https://sibtigre2.scentsy.us

New Roof

2011-03-03T13:56:00.001-06:00

It's been over 2 years since Hurricane Ike made landfall on Galveston Island. Ike completely changed hundreds of lives. So many people lost their homes, their belongings, their jobs. I am a lucky one. The only damage I received was losing some shingles from my roof. Right after I got home from NYC, shortly after Ike made landfall, I was able to get the roof patched. But the cost of completely replacing the roof was astronomical. And how to know which companies were good? So many fly by night companies show up after these disasters. They do shoddy work (or none!) and then they're gone. So I waited. A year later I got some quotes. One company wanted to charge me $8,000-$10,000 to replace my roof! This is a single story, ranch-style house. That wasn't going to happen. The roof wasn't leaking so I waited some more. Finally, last week, I started my search again for a contractor. And I found one. Bay Area Roofers will be coming by next Wednesday to completely replace my roof. And they're not only replacing the roof, they are adding gutters as well! The cost for this? Just over $6400. That total includes replacing the roof, upgrading the shingles, the gutters and tax. This company has really good ratings with both Angie's list and the Houston area BBB. More importantly, they *act* like they want my business and aren't going to charge an arm and leg for me to get it! I'll let everyone know how they do with the actual work! lol

Scentsy Relay for Life fundraiser

2011-03-03T13:23:00.000-06:00

From now until March 8, I am hosting a Scentsy basket party. This party is a fundraiser for my Relay for Life team, Wild For A Cure. 20% of the total order will go towards my team's fundraising goal of $1000. Please check out our party and see if there is anything there you would like. Alternatively, you are also welcome to make a donation to the team or an individual by visiting our team website. With all of us working together, we CAN find a cure for cancer!

Scentsy

2011-03-03T13:17:00.001-06:00

Do you love scented candles but are afraid to use them because your dog might burn her nose or you cat might light her tail on fire? Are you worried that your child or children, or your dogs or cats will knock them over while playing? Are you afraid you'll forget to blow them out when you leave the house? If you're like me, you do! Luckily, there is something out there for us. And that something is Scentsy! Scentsy's wickless candles are perfect for pet owners and families alike. But if warmers aren't your thing, you should still check out Scentsy because they have more than just warmers and candles. They also have hand sanitizers, car and locker fresheners, stuffed animals and travel tins (for those hotel rooms when you're traveling!) All you have to do to order is go to my website and click on a party that's in progress.

If there isn't one in progress, consider hosting your own! Basket parties are the easiest and simplest to do. I'll send you some scents, order forms and catalogs. All you have to do is share Scentsy with your friends and coworkers. If they find something they like, they fill out an order form or they can go to the website for your party. And for every party that earns more than $150 you, the hostess, gets FREE SCENTSY! If you're interested, please visit my website!

HAHA Sponsored Lure Coursing Premium, Mar 12, 13 2011

2011-02-09T13:47:00.002-06:00

PREMIUM LIST

Pre entries close March 10 at FTS address. Day of trial

entries close the day of the trial at FTS desk as follows,

Certification runs will begin at 9 AM. Time of roll call will be at conclusion Certification runs or 930AM whichever is later Sat and Sunday

Houston Area Hound Assoc.

ASFA All Breed Lure FIELD TRIAL

Region 4

March 12, 13 2011

7ILRanch

5389 Mill Creek Rd. Cat Spring, TX 78933

979-236-5552

Early entries $18 per hound, day of trial entries $22 per hound. Certification runs $10 per hound. Please make arrangements to have a cert dog to run with.

Permission has been granted by the American Sighthound Field Association for the holding of this event under American Sighthound Field Association Rules and Regulations.

Denis Como, Chair, ASFA Scheduling Committee

Approved Oct. 6 2010

From Houston (I-10): Take I-10 West to Sealy (50 miles). Go North on 36 (2 miles). Turn Left on FM 1094 and go 11 miles. Turn Right on FM 949 and go .2 mile. Turn Left on Mill Creek Rd. (after bridge the road Y’s, stay to right) 7IL entrance is on the Left 2.5 miles. Look for the Texas Flag Mailbox.

From San Antonio (I-10): Take I-10 East to Exit 704 (FM 949) Go Left (north) on FM 949 about 11.7 miles to 1094. Cross 1094 and go 2 mile. Turn Left on Mill Creek Road. (after the bridge the road Y’s, stay to right) 7IL entrance is on the Left 2.5 miles. Look for the Texas Flag Mailbox.

From Brenham (290): Take 36 S. To Bellville, go around Court House, at the Traffic Light take a Right. After trailer company, turn Right on Hacienda (at traffic light). (go 1.7 miles) Turn Left on Mill Creek Rd. (the road Y’s, stay left) 7IL entrance is on the Right (3.7 miles) look for the Texas Flag Mailbox. 7IL entrance is on the Right (3.7 miles) look for the Texas Flag Mailbox

Houston Area Hound Association

Officers - President: Krista Hunt Vice President: Kate Payne

Secretary: Leslie Walenta, Treasurer – Judy Newton

Board of Directors: Max Von Broemsen, Heike Hoffman, Prudence Hlatky Mark Karger.

Judges and Assignments,

Renee J. Franklin 1020 Chateau Woods Parkway, Conroe, TX 77385

Jack Downing, 4 Hilcrest Dr Lucas, TX 75002

Judith A. Newton, 10519 Hidden Lake Ln., Richmond, TX 77469

Saturday

SGL

LTD

Downing

Newton

Sunday

SGL

LTD

Franklin

Downing

Field Committee:
Field Chairman: Leslie Walenta
Field Secretary: Krista Hunt
Lure Operators: Amy Hoffman, Frank Zaworski,
Inspection: Kate Payne, Leslie Walenta, Krista Hunt
Huntmaster: Linda Zaworski,
Field Clerk: Charlotte Hunt

Ribbons

1st – Blue, 2nd – Red, 3rd – Yellow, 4th –White, NBQ – Green

Best of Breed - Purple and Gold

Trial Hours: 7:00 A.M. until one hour after the last scored course of the day

ROLL CALL: 9:30 A.M. Saturday and Sunday followed immediately by inspection. Fun runs will be offered at the conclusion of each day weather and equipment permitting. $5 donation/per dog

Early entries close Thursday March 10 at FTS address

Eligible Breeds and Registries

Only purebred Afghan Hounds, Azawakhs, Basenjis, Borzoi ,Cirneco del Etna, Greyhounds, Ibizan Hounds, Irish Wolfhounds, Italian Greyhounds, Pharaoh Hounds, Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Salukis, Scottish Deerhounds, Sloughis and Whippets may be entered in the regular stakes. Limited and Provisional Stake breeds currently include purebred Chart Polski, Galgo Espanol, Magyar Agar, Peruvian Inca Orchid, Silken Windhounds, and Portuguese Podengo.

All entries shall be individually registered with the American Kennel Club, the National Greyhound Association, the United Kennel Club, the Federation Cynologique Internationale, an ASFA-recognized foreign or ASFA Board approved registry, or possess a Critique Registration Number (CRN) from the Society for the Perpetuation of Desert Bred Salukis (SPDBS). Limited and/or Provisional stake breeds shall be individually registered with the appropriate registry. A photocopy of acceptable registry must be submitted with each hound’s first ASFA field trial entry; this requirement is waived for hounds registered with the National Greyhound Registry

STAKES OFFERED:

OPEN: Any eligible sighthound, excluding ASFA Field Champions of record that has met certification requirements.

FIELD CHAMPION: Any ASFA Field Champion.

VETERAN: Any eligible hound whose age is at least six years, except Irish Wolfhounds, whose age shall be at least five years, and Rhodesian Ridgebacks and Whippets, whose age shall be at least seven years.

Singles stake: any eligible sighthound including those disqualified to run in other stake.

LIMITED stake: Any eligible sighthound of a Limited or Provisional stake breed that has met certification requirements.

BEST IN FIELD WILL BE OFFERED Sat Only

Conditions of Entry:

All entries must be one year or older on the day of the trial

● Stakes will be split into flights by public random draw if the entry in any regular stake is 20 or more ● Bitches in season, lame hounds and hounds with breed disqualifications will be excused at roll call ● Spayed, neutered, monorchid or cryptorchid hounds without breed disqualifications may be entered; hounds with breed disqualifications are not eligible to enter except in the Single Stake

● Hounds not present at the time of roll call will be scratched

● All hounds will run twice, in trios if possible or braces (except in the Single Stake), unless excused, dismissed or disqualified.

Battery powered, continuous loop lure machine will be used.

The lure will consist of plastic bags or fur.

Hound Certification Form can be found at:

http://www.asfa.org/forms/SEC-06--Certification.pdf

All first time entered dogs with the exception of NGA Greyhounds must provide a copy of their registration papers which will be kept by the Field Trial Secretary

INFORMATION –

Wallysputnik1@aol.com or 832 865 1695

........................................................................................................

FAN Subscriptions, Marilyn Standerford, 15054 Dayton Street, Omaha, NE 68137 -5100

Animal Emergency Clinic – Marek Vet Clinic, Hwy 36 North, Sealy, TX 77474

979-885-7425

Hotels –

LaQuinta Inn Brookshire 721 FM 1489 77423

281 375 8888 dogs 50lbs or less, must be crated

Super 8, 267 Gebhardt Rd, Sealy, TX 77474

Best Western, 2107 TX 36, Sealy, TX 77474

979 885 3707 dogs 20 lbs or less

lunch: sandwich fixins

chips, drinks will be available both days for small donation

Official American sighthound field assoc. entry form

Houston Area Hound Assoc. – 3/12/2011

7 I L Ranch, 5389 Millcreek Rd, Cat Spring, TX 78933

Trial secretary- Krista Hunt

832 865 1695 wallysputnik1@aol.com

$18 early entry fees close Mar 10 2011

$22 entries close @ 9:30 a.m. Saturday & Sunday

Fee Paid ______ The Field Secretary cannot accept conditional, unsigned, incomplete or unpaid entries; please check your completed entry carefully.

Breed:	Call Name:
Registered Name of Hound:
Stake: £ Open £ FCH £ Veteran £ Single £ Limited		Additional Stakes: £ Kennel £Breeder
Registration Number: (circle one) AKC Reg. # AKC ILP/PAL #: NGA #: Critique Reg #: Foreign Reg. # & Country: Pending: UKC Reg. #
£ If possible, please separate my hounds	Date of Birth:	Sex: £ Dog £ Bitch
Name of actual owner(s):
Address:		Phone:
City:		State:	Zip:
^{E-mail (Optional)}		^{(Optional) Region of Residence:}
£ Check if this is the first ASFA trial for this hound. Attach a Hound Certification or waiver if entered in Open, Veterans, Limited. £ Check if this is a first-time entry, a copy of the official Registration of this hound must accompany this entry unless NGA.
£ Check if any information has changed since the last ASFA trial entry. Regarding _______________
£ Check if this hound has been dismissed within the last 6 trials entered. Must be marked in order to qualify for a “clean” trial requirement.

I CERTIFY that I am the actual owner of this dog, or that I am the duly authorized agent of the actual owner whose name I have entered above. In consideration of the acceptance of this entry and the opportunity to have this dog judged and to win prize money, ribbons, or trophies, I (we) agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the American Sighthound Field Association in effect at the time of this lure field trial, and by any additional rules and regulations appearing in the premium list for this lure field trial. I (we) agree that the club holding this lure field trial has the right to refuse this entry for cause, which the club shall deem to be sufficient. I (we) agree to hold this club, its members, directors, governors, officers, agents or other functionaries, any employees of the aforementioned parties and the owner(s) of the trial premises or grounds harmless from any claim for loss or injury which may be alleged to have been caused directly or indirectly to any person or thing by the act of this dog while in or upon the lure field trial premises or grounds or near any entrance thereto and I (we) personally assume all responsibility and liability for any such claim, and I (we) further agree to hold the aforementioned parties harmless from any claim loss of this dog by disappearance, theft damage or injury be caused or alleged to be caused by the negligence of the club or any of the aforementioned parties or by the negligence of any person or any other cause or causes. I (we) certify and represent that the dog entered is not a hazard to person or other dogs. This entry is submitted for acceptance of the forgoing representations and agreements

SIGNATURE of owner or his agent duly authorized to make this entry _______

OFFICIAL AMERICAN SIGHTHOUND FIELD ASSOCIATION ENTRY FORM

Houston Area Hound Assoc. 3/13/2011

7IL Ranch, 5389 Millcreek Rd, Cat Spring, TX 78933

Trial secretary- Krista Hunt 832 865 1695

$18 early entry fees close Mar 10 2011

$22 entries close @ 9:30 a.m. Saturday & Sunday

Fee Paid ______ The Field Secretary cannot accept conditional, unsigned, incomplete or unpaid entries; please check your completed entry carefully.

Breed:	Call Name:
Registered Name of Hound:
Stake: £ Open £ FCH £ Veteran £ Single £ Limited		Additional Stakes: £ Kennel £Breeder
Registration Number: (circle one) AKC Reg. # AKC ILP/PAL# NGA #: Critique Reg #: Foreign Reg. # & Country: Pending: UKC Reg. #
£ If possible, please separate my hounds	Date of Birth:	Sex: £ Dog £ Bitch
Name of actual owner(s):
Address:		Phone:
City:		State:	Zip:
^{E-mail (Optional)}		^{(Optional) Region of Residence:}
£ Check if this is the first ASFA trial for this hound. Attach a Hound Certification or waiver if entered in Open, Veterans, Limited. £ Check if this is a first-time entry, a copy of the official Registration of this hound must accompany this entry unless NGA.
£ Check if any information has changed since the last ASFA trial entry. Regarding _______________
£ Check if this hound has been dismissed within the last 6 trials entered. Must be marked in order to qualify for a “clean” trial requirement.

SIGNATURE of owner or his agent duly authorized to make this entry __________

AMERICAN SIGHTHOUND FIELD ASSOCIATION

HOUND CERTIFICATION

Rule effective October 1, 1994: Ch. V, Sec. 4 (a) OPEN STAKE: To be eligible to enter the open stake, a hound must have been certified by a licensed judge within the year preceding the closing date for the entry or have previously competed in the Open Stake. This eligibility requirement also applies to a hound entered in the Limited or Veteran Stake, which has not competed in Open previously. Please complete this portion of this form and attach it to the entry form for the hound’s first entry, including an entry for a Fun Trial.

Registered Name of Hound:

Registration Number: _________________________ Breed:

Registered Owner’s Name:

I hereby certify that on (date) __________________, the above named hound completed a lure course of at least 500 yards, running with another hound of the same breed (or another breed with a similar running style). During the course the above named hound showed no inclination to interfere with the other hound. I further certify that I am a licensed judge for the ASFA.

Name of Licensed Judge: _______________________________________________

Signature:__________________________________________ Date: ___________________

I hereby certify that the hound running in the certification course is the hound identified above and that information provided on this form is true and correct.

Signature: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Owner or Authorized Agent of Hound

This certification form must be attached to the entry form the first time this hound is entered in an open, limited, or veteran stake. Any hound entered in open, limited, or veteran (as a first time entered hound), which has not been certified, shall be declared ineligible by the records coordinator and shall forfeit any points and placements awarded.

PLEASE RETAIN A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS.

AMERICAN SIGHTHOUND FIELD ASSOCIATION

HOUND CERTIFICATION WAIVER

Waiver of Requirement: This requirement will be waived for a hound that has earned a lure coursing or racing title from another recognized organization, if such title requires competition, and if a waiver for such title has been approved by the ASFA, or a CKC Hound Certification Form. If your hound qualifies for a waiver, complete this portion of this form and attach it to your entry form. Proof of waivers must accompany this certification form.

Registered Name of Hound:

Registration Number: _________________________ Breed:

Registered Owner’s Name:

CKC: FCH FCHX CWA: ARX TRP SRA DPC

AKC: FC SC LGRA: GRC NAWRA: RCH SR

WRA: CR WRCH NOTRA: ORC OTR SORC SOR

Hound Certification previously submitted.

I hereby certify that the hound identified above has completed the requirements for the title indicated above (or that the required Certification was previously submitted) and that the information provided on this form is true and correct.

Signature: _______________________________________________ Date:

Owner or Authorized Agent of Hound

AMERICAN SIGHTHOUND FIELD ASSOCIATION

HOUND CERTIFICATION

Registered Name of Hound:

Registration Number: _________________________ Breed:

Registered Owner’s Name:

Name of Licensed Judge: _______________________________________________

Signature:__________________________________________ Date: ___________________

I hereby certify that the hound running in the certification course is the hound identified above and that information provided on this form is true and correct.

Signature: _______________________________________________ Date: _________________

Owner or Authorized Agent of Hound

PLEASE RETAIN A COPY FOR YOUR RECORDS.

AMERICAN SIGHTHOUND FIELD ASSOCIATION

HOUND CERTIFICATION WAIVER

Registered Name of Hound:

Registration Number: _________________________ Breed:

Registered Owner’s Name:

CKC: FCH FCHX CWA: ARX TRP SRA DPC

AKC: FC SC LGRA: GRC NAWRA: RCH SR

WRA: CR WRCH NOTRA: ORC OTR SORC SOR

Hound Certification previously submitted.

Signature: _______________________________________________ Date:

Owner or Authorized Agent of Hound

Sec-06 rev 09/06© Sec-06 rev 09/06©

Temporary or Permanent Home Needed for Duke!

2011-01-08T16:29:00.001-06:00

Duke needs a home (foster and permanent)! He is a 6(ish) Rhodesian Ridgeback that was dropped off at the shelter on Christmas Day. :-( He is currently in S. California. A wonderful woman saw him and took him home, however, she cannot keep him. SHe simply couldn't stand to see him stay in that shelter any longer. PLEASE, if you are willing to take this boy in, contact me and I will put you in touch with the woman who has him.

For more photos of Duke, click here. He is sweet, walks well on a leash and appears to be good with cats. Seriously, who can resist that face? This is a dog that will be forever grateful to whoever takes him in!

Olaf

2010-12-14T17:13:00.000-06:00

I am sorry to say that Olaf has lost his battle with cancer. His family did everything they could but in the end, the cancer won. Rest in Peace Olaf.

2010-11-23T19:45:00.002-06:00

Olaf is a patrol and explosives dog in South Africa that was recently diagnosed with cancer. He is only 5 years old. Nico, his handler, is doing everything he can to help Olaf. Any amount, even $1, will help. The current exchange rate for US dollars to SA Rand is very much in the dollars' favor. If you donate $1 it becomes R7 so, truly, no amount is too small!

Our lion girls turn 2

2010-08-09T20:36:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple of the (100+) photos I took of their birthday party. :-)

A Trip to the Beach

2010-06-10T18:56:00.000-05:00

Tori and I met up with a friend and visited one of the Galveston beaches this morning. A lot of fun was had by the RR as they romped, played, ran in the surf, sniffed various bits of things on the beach, etc. And the two humans had fun watching them, talking and taking photos. Here are some of the photos I got today:

Tori racing towards me.

Tori making sure I'm still there.

Tori and Henna Moon checking out something good (to them at least!)

Tori and Henna Moon playing in the surf. This was right as we got there.

Tori and Henna Moon checking out something else that the found.

If you would like to see more of the photos taken this morning, please visit my Flickr page.

Fun at the Dog Park

2010-04-01T17:28:00.000-05:00

Tori and I met a friend of mine and his Great Dane at a local dog park today. Lots of fun was had by all! Tori is looking forward to going back again. Here are a couple of photos I took:

If you would like see more photos from today please visit my Flickr page. :-)

2010-02-22T19:32:00.000-06:00

2010-02-22T19:30:00.000-06:00

Relay for Life

2010-02-02T19:09:00.000-06:00

For those of you who don't know I've signed up to participate in the Relay for Life, Greater Heights TX that is taking place on May 14th/15th. If you are in the area and want to join me (or if you would like to donate to my team) go here. This is the first time I've ever participated in a Relay for Life. I'm really looking forward to it. The only thing that would make it better is if I could take Tori with me! :-)

Learning to shoot

2010-01-28T09:55:00.000-06:00

So...after a having to deal with an ex-boyfriend who would not believe me when I said it was over, I decided to finally learn how to shoot a handgun. A good friend of mine agreed to go with me to a local shooting range and show me the basics. My first time was a couple of weeks ago and I shot two different guns, both .9mm (one was a Taurus and one was a Sig Sauer p239). I really liked the Sig and did fairly well with it, considering it was my first time ever shooting a hand gun!

Well...yesterday my friend and I went again, this time to a different shooting range, and I borrowed a .40 Sig Sauer p226. I LOVED IT! I shot 40 rounds from the .40 Sig and 10 rounds from a .9mm Taurus. Here are two photos of my target from yesterday - a full shot and then a close up.

The ones way down at the bottom (outside the circles) are from when I shot the .9mm after shooting two clips from the .40 Sig. I didn't do so well switching guns partway through! All of the ones in the center and near the center as well as most of the ones in the 8 circle are from when I shot the .40 Sig. Now that I am a bit more comfortable with holding a gun I will be taking a handgun safety course and then trying for my CHL. If I'm going to have a gun, I might as well be able to carry it!

2010-01-20T14:58:00.000-06:00

Here is a way to help contribute aid to Haiti: Light Haiti Project - $10 buys a MiniBogo light, $20 buys a Bogo 2 Light. HZI sells these and I've heard great things about them. Help light Haiti!

All four together!

2009-12-24T12:56:00.000-06:00

Now we just need to get Celesto in the mix. :-)

More photos...

2009-12-20T15:19:00.005-06:00

As you can probably tell....I've been having fun with my camera. :-)

A couple more of the girls...

2009-12-17T16:38:00.003-06:00

A couple of updated photos of Haley

2009-12-17T13:36:00.001-06:00

Lots of new critters!

2009-12-17T13:23:00.003-06:00

We've also received several other new animals - 2 ocelots, a female fossa and a female maned wolf.

Female Maned Wolf, Lucy

Male Ocelot, Gustavo

Female Fossa, Riana

New Lions!!!

2009-12-17T13:19:00.000-06:00

The Houston Zoo is now home to three new lion girls. :-) Their names are Uzima, Mattie and Nimue. They are almost 1 1/2 years old and came to us from the Fort Worth Zoo. :-)

2009-12-04T18:03:00.001-06:00

Hana, our female Malayan Tiger, looking really really cute! I just had to share. :-)

Haley, our female cougar cub, looking all grown up! :-)

So sorry....

2009-07-26T20:35:00.002-05:00

I apologize for not updating the blog for so long. So much has been going on that I just haven't been able to do it. Our cougar cub has grown. I will try and get newer photos of her soon. We will also be getting some new animals in the near future. I will post photos of them as soon as can (after they arrive of course!). In the mean time, please take a look at some photos I've posted on Flickr. They include photos from my vacation to visit family in Idaho (including photos from Pocatello Zoo and Utah's Hogle Zoo) and from our first ever Spotlight on the Species. For this we focused on our Cheetahs and Anatolian Shepherd Dogs.

The day was spent doing keeper chats and educating people on Cheetahs, Anatolian Shepherd Dogs and on the cause we were raising money for. That cause was Cheetah Conservation-Botswana. All of the money raised (~$850.00 US) during the event was donated to them for a mobile vet clinic. The clinic will treat not only the Anatolian Shepherd Dogs working on the ranches but also other domestic pets owned by the ranchers. When they did this in January, they sterilized 24 dogs and immunized many more! Both of these things are important. By sterilizing them we are helping reduce the feral dog population and by immunizing them we are helping protect African Wild Dogs. So many diseases that affect the domestic dog also affect the African Wild Dog (in particular, canine distemper). By immunizing the domestic dogs we are helping prevent the spread of the diseases to the wild animal populations.

Photos of the little girl :-)

2009-03-19T13:18:00.001-05:00

Another, more entertaining, article

2009-03-06T15:41:00.002-06:00

Got this from a friend of mine:

An octopus uses his enrichment in an unexpected way: http://tinyurl.com/d8n3or

Illness forces vets to euthanize recaptured jaguar

2009-03-06T15:21:00.002-06:00

What a loss to the wildlife in this country. Perhaps another jaguar will wander in and take over Macho B's territory? One can only hope.

http://www.azstarnet.com/sn/hourlyupdate/282823.php

2009-03-05T10:50:00.003-06:00

Isn't she adorable!?! This is our new cougar cub. She's an orphan from Idaho and is 3-4 months old. She's a little unsure about all of us but that's okay! I know she'll come around eventually. A lot has changed in for her during her short life. She has quite a bit of attitude which just makes us adore her even more! Below is another photo of her - this time using the flash. She really likes her crate right now and is spending quite a bit of time in even though she has access to the outside. :-)

Various photos....

2009-02-24T17:08:00.002-06:00

Kadu

Puck

Hana (new Malayan Tiger!!!!)

We shipped one of our male Malayan tigers, Jammu, to Alexandria Zoo in LA about a month ago. He is there on a breeding recommendation. We now have Hana. She came down to the department last week and is now on exhibit. We will not be putting her and our resident male, Pandu, together as they are fairly closely related. She is, however, very pretty and I fully expect to get lots of photos of her. :-)

Baby Giraffe!!!

2009-02-24T17:06:00.003-06:00

The zoo has a new baby giraffe!!! His name is Miles and he's being handraised by our (very experienced) Hoofstock staff. Here are a couple of photos of him at a few weeks of age. :-)

Training Doors and New Mesh!

2009-02-24T16:56:00.003-06:00

We've recently had an improvement made to some of our exhibits. We had new mesh and fresh propping installed on 6 of our exhibits. And two (so far) of the exhibits have had training doors installed on them (Clouded leopard and Leopard). The new mesh looks awesome! As does the propping. And I am in love with the training doors! These were designed (with input from us) and built by the zoo welder. He did an awesome job (which, I'm sure, he is getting tired of hearing! lol I keep telling him that every time I see him). Here are some photos of me training Kadu (male leopard) at the training door and some photos of Ivy and Kadu on exhibit with the new mesh.

Me training Kadu at the new door (guest side)

Me training Kadu at the new door (keeper side)

Ivy (Black Leopard) on exhibit

Kadu on exhibit

Christmas and New Years

2009-01-01T18:27:00.000-06:00

Both were a lot of fun. For Christmas I went over to a friends' house and had dinner, watched Christmas movies and played Animalopoly. For New Years I had a couple of friends come over to my house and we ate pizza, watched movies and played board games until midnight. :-) Again, lots of fun!

On a happier note....

2009-01-01T18:22:00.001-06:00

Tori decided to use me as a pillow/mattress tonight. :-)
This girl may drive me crazy sometimes but she also helps keep me sane!

2009-01-01T18:18:00.002-06:00

Miracle passed away unexpectedly a few days before Christmas after a short illness.
Good bye Miracle. We love you and will miss you!

Woo Hoo!! Go WSU!

2008-11-22T20:00:00.004-06:00

They may have had a really really really bad season but they won the one game that counts! :)

WSU stuns Huskies in double OT Apple Cup win

RIP Mac

2008-11-12T20:25:00.003-06:00

Our beloved 2 year old elephant, Mac, passed away earlier this week. He will be greatly missed. For more information regarding his passing, please visit the zoo's website. If you would like to see photos of Mac you can either visit the zoo's website or the zoo's Flickr page. Please join is in extending our heartfelt sympathies to the Elephant staff and everyone else who has been affected by Mac's passing. He truly was a special animal.

Enrichment Day 2008

2008-10-16T11:40:00.003-05:00

The zoo once again celebrated Enrichment Day. It was postponed a little due to Hurricane Ike but eventually took place on Sept 27th. Much fun was had by all! Here are a few photos that I took that day. More can be seen here.

Hansel, the Fossa.

Miracle, the Ocelot.

Malay, female Clouded Leopard.

Dogs and Cheetahs chasing a lure.

Cheetahs are One Year Old!

2008-10-16T11:27:00.005-05:00

So the cheetahs are now over a year old....(They're birthday was Sept 24th). Time sure does fly! And yes, we threw them a party. :) Here a couple of photos of the party and subsequent aftermath....

Even the puppies got to be involved....

For more photos, you can visit my Flickr page. :)

New York City

2008-10-16T11:05:00.004-05:00

I got to visit New York City for the first time last month. I was there for a week which was long enough in some respects and not nearly long enough in others! I visited so many places - some museums, Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Broadway, Ground Zero, St Pauls Chapel, Central Park and countless others. And I got to visit with a good friend. I enjoyed it thoroughly and would love to go back!

At the Bronx Zoo I was allowed to go behind the scenes at African Wild Dogs and Tiger Mountain - places that most people are not allowed to visit (this is definitely one of the advantages to working at a zoo!). It was amazing to see and our guide was awesome. He even took us around to see some of the other cats in the collection (Thank you Glen!) I wasn't able to see their new Madagascar exhibit nor did I have time to see their Congo. Those are two areas I will be visiting if I ever get back there.

Central Park Zoo is a neat little facility. It's not big but it's clean and appear to have made good use of their space. I enjoyed walking around there and looking at their collection. Their polar bear exhibit was fantastic as was their rainforest. Definitely worth visiting if you're ever in NYC.

One of the main highlights of my trip was that I was able to see a play on Broadway. What made it even better was that I got to see Phantom of the Opera on Broadway. I had great seats (central orchestra, row F) and got them for 50% off (so for around $65 I got one of the best seats in the theater!).

My trip to Ground Zero on Sept 11 was profound. There's no way to explain what I felt as I stood there while they read off the names of those who died during the attacks. While there I also visited St Paul's Chapel. This chapel is right next door to Ground Zero and received no harm during the attacks and subsequent fall of the towers. It served as a refuge for the volunteers and emergency personnel who responded to the attack and collapse of the WTC. It is still an active part of the parish of Trinity Church as well as a museum. Definitely worth stopping by to visit if you are ever in NYC.

All in all I had a wonderful trip - all in spite of Hurricane Ike deciding to visit my city of residence while I was gone. For photos of my trip, visit here.

Help needed in Alabama

2008-10-02T11:17:00.001-05:00

This came across my rescue list. These are dogs (and a person) who need help. If you can help, please do!

Hurricane Ike

2008-09-18T09:00:00.003-05:00

I wanted to let y'all know that I am fine as are my animals. I was actually in New York City when Ike decided to make landfall on the Bolivar Peninsula in Texas. For those of you who do not know, that is very close to Galveston Island which is not very far South of where I live. There is quite a bit of destruction along the coast of Texas and Louisiana. There are several communities that have been destroyed or have sustained severe damage. Right now, no one except emergency personnel and other people deemed essential are allowed onto Galveston Island and surrounding areas.

My house sustained very little damage. I am missing some shingles (maybe 2-3 dozen) from my roof but everything else is intact and undamaged (including my fence!!!). I have electricity, running water, internet and a fairly decent signal for my cell phone. I am very very very lucky. Several of my coworkers are without power and/or running water. Some of them have also sustained extensive damage to their houses (ceilings are collapsing and fences are down).

The Houston Zoo is in good shape. We sustained some minor damage to fencing and had lots of trees and limbs down. Our grounds, horticulture, maintenance and housekeeping staff did an incredible job getting the zoo cleaned up. Animal staff helped where and when we could. The zoo, as of yesterday, had running water and electricity. It also reopened to the public yesterday and had quite a few guests come through.

Moody Gardens (on Galveston Island) sustained some damage, I do not know how much as of yet. I do know there was flooding in some, if not all, of their buildings. Yesterday some staff from the Houston Zoo went down and got some of the animals (at the request of Moody Gardens). We will temporarily be housing them until Moody Gardens can take them back. At this time I do not know which of their animals we have. I do know we have taken in some of their birds (no penguins) but that's it. Our thoughts and prayers go out to those who have been affected (and continue to be affected) by this storm.

For some images of Hurricane Ike and his aftermath, go here or here or here. The Houston Chronicle also has lots of information concerning Ike and the recovery efforts.

San Francisco Zoological Society Position Statement

2008-08-24T18:41:00.002-05:00

Supervisor Daly's Legislation to Change the Mission of the San Francisco Zoo

SUPPORT YOUR ZOO

On June 10, 2008, Supervisor Chris Daly, in conjunction with representatives from In Defense of Animals and the City of San Francisco’s Animal Control and Welfare Commission, put forth a legislative ordinance that would transform the San Francisco Zoo into an “animal rescue facility”. Among other things, the San Francisco Zoo would be limited to only accepting animals that have been rescued from roadside zoos, are not part of global conservation efforts, and are medically and behaviorally challenged. The San Francisco Zoological Society finds the “rescue zoo” concept to be extremely narrow in scope and counter-productive to the Zoo’s mission. The Board of Directors and Staff does not support the legislation.

The San Francisco Zoo is already a rescue zoo, both in its commitment to accepting rescue animals whenever appropriate and in its participation in global species survival conservation programs. We are home to more than 100 rescued animals. The largest are the grizzly sisters Kachina and Kiona, who were saved from euthanasia, to the saw whet owl, who is the size of a tennis ball with wings, one broken when it was hit by a ski vehicle. Rather than being euthanized the owl and all of our rescued animals are ambassadors for their species to help tell the story about the importance of respecting wild animals and habitat.

Aside from our rescue animal programs that focus on individual species, the Zoo also must continue to be involved in broader, global conservation programs. This is done through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) which is America's leading accrediting organization for zoos and aquariums and accredits only those institutions that have achieved rigorous standards for animal care, education, wildlife conservation and science. The Zoological Society is proud to be among the more than 200 accredited zoos in North America.

AZA has made it very clear that Supervisor Daly’s legislation will strip the Zoo of its accreditation. This loss will immediately impact the Zoo’s 66 conservation programs, which are managed through AZA’s worldwide partnerships. Some of the conservation programs that have brought accolades to the Zoo and the City of San Francisco include:

● The San Francisco garter snake recovery program. This program educates people that live near the snake’s habitat to appreciate and protect the species. Some of the snakes not involved in the breeding program have visited more than 6,000 children in San Francisco and San Mateo County as part of the ZooMobile Outreach Program.

● The California Bald Eagle recovery program. A record-breaking 103 eagle chicks were
hatched and released into the wild on Santa Catalina and Santa Cruz Islands.

● Fourteen black rhinoceros calves – a species on the brink of extinction – were born at the San Francisco Zoo. Along with 36 other zoos and the International Rhino Foundation, the San Francisco Zoo played an integral role in the reintroduction of black rhinos in Botswana.

Passing this legislation will also severely impact the Zoo’s award-wining education programs designed and developed to support the Zoo’s conservation mission. These programs reach more than 24,000 San Francisco school children each year and another 125,000 children and adults throughout the Bay Area.

If this legislation passes, it will take the Zoo backward, not forward.. The San Francisco Zoo is a valuable, historic jewel and an affordable asset to the city, people, families and schools of the Bay Area. While the Zoo’s animal rescue efforts will continue, the Zoological Society will not abandon its core mission.

WE NEED YOUR HELP. For more information and to find out how you can support the San Francisco Zoo please visit here. (http://www.sfzoo.org/rescuelegislation)

Janet

2008-08-22T17:16:00.002-05:00

Today we had to let Janet (one of our female Maned Wolves) go. About 10 days ago she was diagnosed with cancer. She had a mass in her throat, near where the spine and skull meet. It was determined to be a carcinoma, a fast growing, aggressive cancer. We looked at our options and chose to pursue radiation therapy. The cancer, however, turned out to be much more aggressive than originally thought and a week later the tumor had grown much larger. We still thought we would try radiation therapy to shrink the tumor and see if we could give her some more time with a good quality of life. Unfortunately, this morning, she was diagnosed with a broken leg. We felt that it was too much to ask of her to recover from a broken leg as well as deal with the radiation therapy and the tumor. And the tumor had grown even larger in only two days (with one radiation treatment). The decision was made to free Janet from her broken body and let her go free. So we did. We will miss you Janet. You were an awesome animal and we are blessed to have been able to care for you. Thank you.

Baby Giant Eland

2008-08-14T15:59:00.002-05:00

The Zoo had a baby Giant Eland born last week. And boy is he cute! For some photos, go here. There are also some other neat zoo photos there so please explore! (And no, none of these photos are mine!).

New Leopards

2008-08-06T17:16:00.003-05:00

The Zoo is now home to two new leopards - a male and a female. The male's name is Kadu and he is 6 years old. The female's name is Ivy and she is 5 years old. Both of them came to us from the same sanctuary our male lion, Jonathan, came from. Kadu is quite the people cat but Ivy wants nothing to do with us. That's okay though, we'll get her past that! :) Here are a few pictures of Kadu out on exhibit.

Yes, those are rosettes...no, leopards don't usually have such pronounced rosettes....we're not really sure why he does.... :)

Groups of animals are called....

2008-07-31T17:03:00.000-05:00

Found at: http://www.dribbleglass.com/subpages/animal-groups.htm

A herd of antelope
A colony (swarm, army) of ants
A shrewdness (troup) of apes
A herd (pace) of asses
A culture of bacteria
A cete of badgers
A battery of barracudas
A shoal of bass
A sleuth (sloth) of bears
A colony of beavers
A swarm (cluster, grist, hive, nest) of bees
A flock (congregation, volary, dissimulation, parcel) of birds
A sedge (siege) of bitterns
A sounder of boars
A herd (gang, obstinacy) of buffalo
A brace (clash) of bucks
A flight (flutter) of butterflies
A caravan of camels
An army of caterpillars
A clowder (clutter) of cats
A herd (drove, drift, mob) of cattle
A brood (peep, clutch) of chickens
A clutch (chattering) of chicks
A bed of clams
A quiver of cobras
A rag of colts
A cover of coots
A kine of cows
A band of coyote
A herd (sedge, siege) of cranes
A float (bask) of crocodiles
A murder (murmuration) of crows
A litter of cubs
A herd of curlews
A cowardice of curs
A herd (bevy) of deer
A pack (kennel) of dogs
A pod of dolphin
A pace of donkeys
A dule (flight, dole) of doves
A paddling (brace, flock, raft—in flight, team, paddling—swimming) of ducks
A convocation of eagles
A swarm (bed) of eels
A clutch of eggs
A herd of elephants
A pod of elephant seals (weaner pod = yearling elephant seals)
A gang of elk
A mob of emus
A business of ferrets
A charm of finches
A school (shoal, run, haul, catch, drought) of fish
A swarm (business) of flies
A skulk (leash) of foxes
An army of frogs
A colony of frogs
A gaggle (skein when in flight) of geese
A swarm (cloud, horde) of gnats
A herd (tribe, trip) goats
A charm of goldfinches
A cloud of goldfish
A band of gorillas
A cluster of grasshoppers
A leash of greyhounds
A down (husk, down, mute) of hares
A cast (kettle) of hawks
An array of hedgehogs
A brood of hens
A hedge (siege, sedge) of herons
A shoal of herrings
A bloat of hippopotami
A drift (passel, parcel) of hogs
A harras (herd, remuda, string) of horses
A pack (mute, cry) of hounds
A husk of jackrabbits
A band of jays
A smack of jellyfish
A troop (mob) of kangaroos
A kindle (litter) of kittens
A deceit of lapwings
An ascension (exaltation) of larks
A leap (leep) of leopards
A flock of lice
A pride of lions
A plague (swarm) of locusts
A tiding (tittering) of magpies
A sord of mallards
A stud of mares
A richness of martens
A labor of moles
A troop of monkeys
A barren (span) mules
A nest of mice
A shoal (steam, swarm) of minnows
A watch of nightingales
A family of otters
A parliament of owls
A yoke (drove, team, herd) oxen
A bed of oysters
A pandemonium of parrots
A covey of partridges
A muster (ostentation) of peacocks
A litter of peeps
A rookery of penguins
A nide (nye, bouquet) of pheasants
A flock (flight, kit—flying together) of pigeons
A litter (drove) of pigs
A shoal of pilchards
A wing (congregation) of plovers
A string (drove) of ponies
A pod (herd, school) of porpoises
A run of poultry
A coterie of prairie dogs
A covey (bevy) of quail
A nest (bury) of rabbits
A pack (swarm) of rats
A rhumba of rattlesnakes
An unkindness of ravens
A crash of rhinos
A shoal of roaches
A bevy of roebucks
A building (clamor) of rooks
A run of salmon
A family of sardines
A herd (pod, trip) of seals
A shoal of sharks
A flock of sheep
A nest (bed, knot, den, pit) of snakes
A walk (wisp) of snipe
A host of sparrows
A cluster (clutter) of spiders
A dray of squirrels
A murmuration of starlings
A mustering of storks
A flight (gulp) of swallows
A herd (bevy, lamentation, wedge) of swans
A flock of swifts
A sounder (drift) of swine
A spring of teal
A colony (nest, swarm, brood) of termites
A mutation of thrushes
An ambush of tigers
A knot (knab) of toads
A hover of trout
A rafter (raft) of turkeys
A pitying (dule) of turtledoves
A bale (turn, dole) of turtles
A pod of walrus
A nest (herd, pladge) of wasps
A school (gam, pod) of whales
A nest (generation) of vipers
A knob (bunch, trip, plump) of wildfowl
A pack (route, herd) of wolves
A fall of woodcocks
A descent of woodpeckers
A herd of wrens
A zeal of zebras

Dr Dodd's vaccination protocal - Dogs

2008-07-31T15:34:00.002-05:00

CANINE VACCINATION PROTOCOL – 2007

MINIMAL VACCINE USE

W. Jean Dodds, DVM

HEMOPET
938 Stanford Street
Santa Monica, CA 90403
310-828-4804; Fax 310-828-8251

e-mail: hemopet AT hotmail.com (omit "AT and spaces when emailing, also, insert @ symbol)

Note: The following vaccine protocol is offered for those dogs where minimal vaccinations are advisable or desirable. The schedule is one I recommend and should not interpreted to mean that other protocols recommended by a veterinarian would be less satisfactory. It's a matter of professional judgment and choice.

Age of Pups

Vaccine Type

9 - 10 weeks

14 weeks

16 -18 weeks (optional)

20 weeks or older, if allowable by law

1 year

1 year

Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV (e.g. Intervet

Progard Puppy DPV)

Same as above

Same as above (optional)

Rabies

Distemper + Parvovirus, MLV

Rabies, killed 3-year product (give 3-4 weeks apart from distemper/parvovirus booster)

Perform vaccine antibody titers for distemper and parvovirus every three years thereafter, or more often, if desired. Vaccinate for rabies virus according to the law, except where circumstances indicate that a written waiver needs to be obtained from the primary care veterinarian. In that case, a rabies antibody titer can also be performed to accompany the waiver request.

Dr. Dodd's has also written a very interesting article on changing vaccine protocals. A copy of it can be found here.

The New and Improved Leopard Exhibit

2008-07-30T19:23:00.002-05:00

My coworkers and I have spent the last few weeks re-propping and improving our leopard exhibit in preparation for our two new leopards coming out of quarantine. This is what we've done! :) Many thanks go out to our Horticulture staff for assisting us in the propping! I'm not sure we could've done it without you!

The left side of the exhibit (when facing it from the front - this photo was taken from inside the exhibit).

The center of the exhibit.

The right side of the exhibit (when facing it from the front - this photo was taken from inside the exhibit.

A really cool stump!

And there is even a waterfall! This was the idea of one of my coworkers. And what a wonderful idea it was! :)

The leopards came out of quarantine today. They will be allowed out on exhibit sometime in the next couple of days. I hope to get pictures of them on exhibit as soon as I can. :)

2008-07-19T21:25:00.005-05:00

I had to say good-bye to a friend today...
Martha, you will be missed by many. We love you.

Happy 1st Birthday Puppies!!!!

2008-07-06T19:28:00.003-05:00

We are so happy to have you here!

Here are some photos of the puppies enjoying their birthday cards and gifts. I think the gift they most enjoyed was that they were on exhibit without the cheetahs for at least 2 hours. :)

Josh finger painted a cheetah onto Taji's card. :)

A close up of the cheetah painting. (and yes, he did it with his fingers...there weren't any brushes available...)

Taji with her gift. :)

Both Tusker and Taji with their gifts.

Tusker checking out the Happy Birthday sign one of our volunteers made for them.

Both puppies under their sign.

For more photos of their party go here.

Happy 4th of July!

2008-07-04T07:56:00.003-05:00

This flag is hanging in the National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. The story behind this flag is in the photo below it.

This holiday is not just about fireworks and parties. There is a history behind it. Remember those who have and are fighting for our freedom and the freedom of others. And if you ever get the chance to visit this museum, DO IT. It's an amazing place.

Tagged!

2008-07-03T12:00:00.004-05:00

Since I've been Tagged here are my answers:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago I still had Jack. I did not have Tori or Tom or Zoey or Boomer. I had just graduated from college. I wasn't a zoo keeper. I wasn't fostering dogs yet. I didn't have a cell phone. I had just started to realize how many friends I can have all over the country thanks to email and the internet. I didn't know how to knit.

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. crackers
2. chocolate
3. ice cream
4. fruits/veggies
5. granola bars
6. yogurt

Five Things on My To-Do list today:
1. trim the hedge in the front yard (done!)
2. mow the back yard (done!)
3. laundry (almost done!)
4. finish my book (getting there....)
5. knit (will be soon!)
6. play with the animals

Five Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1. donate a bunch of money to rescue and conservation and ????
2. buy a house with land so that I could have some sheep and horses and ????
3. invest
4. share with friends and family
5. travel

Five jobs I have had:
1. pet sitter
2. secretary for a travel agency
3. babysitter
4. student
5. zookeeper

Five of my bad habits:
1. I'm impatient
2. I'm not neat
3. I get sucked into the internet waaay too easily
4. I'm intolerant of stupid people (okay....I'm not sure that that really counts as a bad habit...)
5. I'm not good at replying to emails or sending cards or writing letters.

Five places I have lived:
1. Camp Pendleton, CA
2. Oceanside, CA
3. Gig Harbor, WA
4. Topeka, KS
5. Pullman, WA

Five people I would like to get to know better (yes, this means you are tagged!):
1. Everyone who reads this!

Five Random Things:
1. I hate yard work
2. I foster for two breed rescues.
3. I still consider myself a beginner knitter
4. I hate humidity (yes, I realize the irony).
5. I'm happy with who I am.
6. I love to learn new things.
7. I'm not an extrovert
8. I'll read just about anything.
9. I don't travel as much as I would like to.
And yes....that's more than 5. I don't always follow the rules... ;)

My latest foster...

2008-06-27T13:56:00.002-05:00

Redman! He's a 4 year old Rhodesian Ridgeback. Tori LOVES playing with him and he LOVES playing with her. It helps that they play the same way - lots of body slamming and barking. :)

Finished, almost finished and still to be started projects!

2008-05-30T17:36:00.006-05:00

First, the finished:

These are three felted belt bags that I've finished over the last few weeks. I really like this pattern and, as an added bonus, it's a fairly easy one. :)

And this one is a drop stitch scarf I've made for my cousin. I really hope she likes green! This was also an quick and easy pattern.

And the almost finished is this:

It still needs to be felted but it's a pouch. Once felted it will have strings threaded through the top to pull it closed. I will felt it as soon as I have a couple of other items finished that need to be felted. :)

And the still to be started project is this:

Yup. That's a bunch of clean Anatolian Shepherd fur that will, at some point in the future, be spun into yarn. Here's a closer look:

I'm not sure yet if I will attempt to spin it myself or pay a company/individual to spin it for me. I'm not sure I'm ready to do this. I really want to use the yarn to make something special. I'm fairly confident I can card it into roving fine (and I've just purchased some silver and white raw wool to blend with it) I'm just not sure I will be able to make it into decent yarn...and while I know it will probably cost a bit to have someone else spin it I would at least know it would turn out the thickness and quality I want. So...at some point I will have to make a decision...Oh, and this is about 8 ounces of Anatolian Shepherd fur. I actually have more of it (that hasn't been cleaned yet) but it's from different dogs (two of my fosters) while this batch is exclusively from the two Anatolians at work. :)

Sad and Happy happenings...

2008-05-30T17:20:00.004-05:00

First, the sad:

Bridge: unknown puppy

While at the Clinic today a lady brought in a young pitbull puppy who was not feeling well. Turns out the little pup had Parvo. The pup was so far gone that the lady elected to euthanize her. The vet tech and I stayed with the puppy until she was gone. This poor dog was skin and bones and so lethargic. Please, vaccinate your dogs (especially your puppies) for Parvo. This is not a disease to mess around with!

And then the happy:

Rescued: kitten!

This young kitten (weighs less than a pound!) was rescued off the street near the Clinic. The woman brought her in and begged them to please take her. She couldn't take her as she was on her way to work and was afraid the kitten would get hit by a car if left where she was (which is highly possible!). Of course, the clinic staff took her and, I suspect, the vet will actually take her home. This little girl spent very little time in the kennel and quite a bit of time in the arms of the staff. :)

Poor Sasha....

2008-05-30T17:15:00.002-05:00

Sasha had to go for surgery today. We couldn't tell for sure if she was spayed or not so they had to actually open her up. The vet couldn't find anything (after 20 minutes of looking!) that resembled ovaries or a uterus. He couldn't even find a stump where they had been removed. So...for now she's being called spayed and if she comes into heat I'm to take her back in and they'll look some more. Most likely she was spayed when she was a pretty young puppy and just healed really well. Poor girl...she missed breakfast for nothing.

Fundraiser for Ridgebacks

2008-05-30T17:14:00.001-05:00

Ridgeback Trust Inc (RTI) is a group that rescues "at risk" Ridgebacks. They have saved hundreds of dogs in the 10 years they have been in existence. I have personally rehabbed two of the dogs they have saved. Dogs that would not be here without RTI. These two auctions are their major fundraisers for the year. If you are so inclined, please check them out. :) To learn more about RTI please visit their website: http://www.rrsatrisk.org/

And here is the link to the first auction is:

You can view the items after the auction begins using this link http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZridgebacktrust
Or go to www.ebay.com and type ?ridgebacktrust? in the search box

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS.........

2008-05-29T18:50:00.002-05:00

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years.  Any separation from you is likely
to be painful.
2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.
3. Place your trust in me.  It is crucial for my well-being.
4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment.  You
have your work, your friends, your entertainments, but I have only you.
5. Talk to me.  Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your
voice when speaking to me.
6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.
7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you,
and yet, I choose not to bite you.
8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if
something might be bothering me.  Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I
have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.
9. Please take care of me when I grow old.  You too, will grow old.
10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please.  Never say you
can't bear to watch.  Don't make me face this alone.  Everything is easier
for me if you are there, because I love you so.

I do not know who originally wrote this but I like it so much I had to post it.

Memorial Day...

2008-05-26T20:23:00.002-05:00

is a time to remember. I hope all of you took the time today to remember those who fight for freedom both at home and abroad, past and present. I know I did. Thank you.

Bear Awareness Day 2008

2008-05-22T08:12:00.001-05:00

The Houston Zoo celebrated Bear Awareness Day this last Saturday (May 17th). It was a lot of fun and well attended. We had representatives from the Houston SPCA, Texas Parks and Wildlife and Big Thicket National Preserve on hand to answer questions. They also had educational handouts available for anyone who wanted one. TPWD brought their interactive cd to allow zoo guests to test their bear knowledge. A TPWD representative, Ricky Maxey, also gave two presentations on bears in Texas for zoo staff and volunteers. The zoo commissary hosted a booth that gave guests a chance to see what exactly the bears at the zoo eat, including some of their diet as well as the diet sheet showing how much of each item our 4 bears (2 species) receive on a daily/weekly basis. We also put together the "Bear Maze" which allowed guests to pretend to be a bear. :)

My department again did two educational skits for the guests. The first one was our hiking skit. This skit took place in our Grizzly Bear exhibit and discussed what to do if you run into a bear while hiking. One staff member played the bear while two others played the hikers. After it was over (and the staff had left the exhibit) the Grizzly Bears were let out onto exhibit to the oohs and aahs of the guests. Our second skit was our camping skit and took place in our Spectacled Bear exhibit. This one illustrated how to camp correctly in bear country. One staff member played the "good camper" and two others played the "bad campers". Once the skit is done (and the campers have left the exhibit) the Spectacled bears are let out onto exhibit and allowed to wreak havoc on the camp, which they did. I have posted some low-res pictures on the groups website under the photo section if anyone is interested in seeing them. During both skits a keeper discusses how Texas is again becoming home to black bears. We chose to focus on this because most Texans have not had to worry about black bears. Now, however, there is a sustainable population in West Texas and several individual bears have been sighted in East Texas. We feel it is important to educate the people of Texas on how they and the bears and cohabit together. TPWD has done an excellent job on being proactive with this. They have been educating the people in the state since 2002 about bears returning to Texas in attempt to reduce the number of bear/people conflicts. The staff at the Houston Zoo are pleased to assist them in their mission. :)

Sasha

2008-05-22T08:08:00.002-05:00

Sasha is doing amazingly well. She has gained weight and finishes off all of her food. This is a 180 degree change from when I first got her. Due to her cold she wasn't too interested in eating. I eventually started shoving Robitussin down her throat to help her get over it. She tolerated that very well. At no point has this dog shown any aggression towards me...and believe me, if she was going to she would have by now! I had to clean her ears and shove nasty tasting cough medicine down her throat twice a day. If anyone is interested in adopting Sasha she is on the ASDRL website under "Available Dogs". She will be scheduled for a spay in the near future. She is also HW negative (which was quite a surprise!).

Photos from Bear Awareness Day 2008

2008-05-22T07:45:00.003-05:00

Hiking Skit:

These are our two hikers attempting to determine which bear species they have stumbled upon. (It's a Grizzly...)

The "uneducated" hiker attempts to climb a tree to escape the "bear."

Bailey, one of Houston Zoo's two Grizzly's, enjoys his diet out of a cooler.

Good Camper/Bad Campers skit:

The three campers sharing a meal and discussing bears.

Willie, the Houston Zoo's male Specatacled Bear checking out the cooler.

Patty, Houston Zoo's female Specatacled Bear, checking out the same cooler after Willie wandered off to check out the rest of the camp.

Patty switching sides....it's always easier to just go over than around!

Patty enjoying her prize.

Willie discovers the trash can with all sorts of goodies inside!

And this is what the Spectacled Bear exhibit looked like after the bears had finished with it...

Foster dog #2...

2008-04-26T18:32:00.003-05:00

Yup...it's another Anatolian and her name is Sasha. I picked her up Thursday night (the 24th). She comes from the Fort Worth Animal Care and Control. I met a wonderful lady in Centerville, Texas. Jean was kind enough to spring Sasha from the shelter and meet me in Centerville. This girl is a lucky pup. She was set to be euthanized Wednesday (the 23rd) if she didn't get adopted or pulled by a rescue group. Luckily for her, we were able to get her out and to my place - and the shelter was willing to give her a couple of extra days to allow us to work out transport. She's sweet, doesn't like the crate too much but isn't destructive and is okay (for the most part) with the other two dogs and the cats in the house. She does have a cold but we're working on fixing that. She's now being treated with Panacur to get rid of any nasty hitchikers that may be in her intestines and was given a Capstar to get rid of any nasty hitchhikers that may have been on her fur. She also got a bath. She is very skinny but we're also working on fattening her up. :)

Foster dog...

2008-04-18T18:26:00.000-05:00

This one's an Anatolian and, unfortunately, was not able to stay at my house for very long. He is a very sweet dog and I love him to pieces but he suffers from separation anxiety. To the point that he is destructive if left alone, even in a crate. So he is now hanging out in a doggy spa until another foster home can be found. Until then I still get to visit him because he will be starting heartworm treatment in the next week or so. Anyone interested in a real sweet dog who just wants to be with you? He'll gladly go to work or keep you company while you do stuff around the house or run errands! He's great with dogs, cats and strangers. Oh...and his name is Bear and he's with Anatolian Shepherd Dog Rescue League (ASDRL). You can thank my mom for the wonderful photos of him!

2008-04-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

We will miss you Juneau.

Is this a bear?

2008-04-02T09:15:00.002-05:00

Here is a really cute article about a Rhodesian Ridgeback that is owned by a guy who works at Amazon. Some of his coworkers decided to use his dog and build a Dog-Computer Interface (DCI). The article is hilarious and there are nice pictures of the dog!

**No dogs were harmed in the building of this device....however...lots of treats were dispensed!

Juma...

2008-03-21T17:54:00.003-05:00

the runaway ridgeback, has been found! He had wandered into a family's backyard on Sunday or Monday. They had fed and watered him but were unable to touch him. Two volunteers and Juma's mother went over and were able to convince him to let them put a leash on him. They then loaded him into a crate and took him to the vet clinic. He popped a couple of stitches, had a couple of ticks and is stiff and sore but he is now safe. My understanding is that he is now on his way back to Iowa to be fostered. I love happy endings. :)

Minor Rant...

2008-03-17T18:17:00.004-05:00

1st Rant: On Saturday, a three year old child threw a rock and managed to hit one of the Lion exhibit windows. One of the brand new Lion exhibit windows. The ones that have only been in the exhibit for three weeks. No big deal, right? Except that it shattered one of the three panes that make up the windows. Yes. Each one of those windows are three panes of glass thick. This is to ensure that it can handle a lion or tiger pawing, jumping or otherwise putting pressure on it. It does not, however, protect against rocks. Luckily, it worked the way it was supposed to. When the rock hit the window, the first pane of glass (remember, the window is three panes thick) shattered. Since it is safety glass it did not send glass on to the ground. Instead, it was kept contained and simply created a nice spiderweb across the whole pane. It really looks kind of pretty, actually...until you realize that just one window costs $5000.00. And that's just for the window. Including labor the total cost to replace it will be closer to $8000.00.

None of us blame the child. A three year old can not be expected to know that throwing a rock at a window is not something it should do. The parents, however, should have been keeping a closer eye on their child.

Okay....ranting is done....For those of you interested, here are two pictures of the window.

Like I said...rather pretty when you don't think about how much it cost...or the fact that it had only been installed for three weeks...

2008-03-16T13:28:00.003-05:00

Earlier today or sometime yesterday a 9 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback
puppy, male, on his way to his foster home escaped during transport. He
is now running loose in Athens, GA. He is ~80 pounds and, I believe,
ridged. He was recently neutered (neither of his testicles had descended
so this was a more major surgery than most neuters). Most importantly,
this puppy is rescue from a puppymill. He has had almost no interaction
with people and has had no training. He is scared, skittish and will
bolt at the slightest hint of something scary. Please do not chase him
or try to grab him.

He is related to the foster girl I just recently took in (which was a
rescue accomplished via cooperation between the two National Ridgeback
rescue groups). If anyone sees him, please contact me and I will pass
the information onto the person coordinating his re-capture.

My new foster dog...

2008-03-14T11:00:00.004-05:00

Ain't she pretty? :) Her name is Annie and she is ~1 1/2 years old. She knows nothing. The person who had her before housed her with several other dogs and free fed them all together. He didn't even name her. She was kept outside and had no training. She also does not appear to have had much human interaction. Luckily, she is also interested in everything. She has come a long way in the short time she's been in my house (she arrived late last night). I am so impressed and very proud of her. She will make someone a wonderful companion. :)

Her rescue is thanks to the two National Ridgeback Rescues working together. Both RRUS and RRRI took in the dogs this guy had.

New foster....

2008-03-09T18:08:00.002-05:00

coming!!! She is not here yet but she will be on late Thursday. On the 13th (Thursday) morning, bright and early, I will be leaving my home and driving up to Savanna, OK. (No, I've never been there....have no idea, really, where it is beyond what Mapquest is telling me! All I know is that it's ~ 6 1/2 hours from my house). The reason this place was chosen was because it's somewhere between me and the person who will bringing me my foster dog. lol She is currently being boarded in IA and, as she is an undersocialized dog we thought one car transfer was better than two or more. So....one of RRUS' volunteers will be driving her from IA to Savanna, OK (an ~10 hour one way trip) where I will meet up with him. I will then bring her home. She is going to be one well traveled dog by the end of this. :) She is a livernosed rhodesian ridgeback. She is 1 1/2 years old and very timid/shy/scared. She was kept in a backyard/pasture type area with 6 or 7 other dogs. She did not have much interaction with people nor with other animals beyond the dogs she lived with. She is now up-to-date on shots, microchipped, and wormed (apparently she has whipworms so that'll be fun!). I will get her spayed once she gets here as I can have that done for ~$60 at the low-cost spay and neuter clinic I volunteer at. I've already got the appointment made for her! I will post pictures as soon as I get some. Currently, the only one I have is of her behind a chainlink fence...

Almost 1/2 way done...

2008-02-24T18:28:00.002-06:00

with a pair of Dragon Scale Gauntlets that I am making for a friend. (We won't talk about how long it's taken me to get to this point...let's just say it's been awhile.) Anyways...these are being made out of dk alpaca yarn on size 4 dpn's. The knitting is going much better now that I am using longer double pointed needles. I was originally using needles that were a few inches shorter and there was much cursing going on as I kept dropping stitches off the ends. I'm amazed I made it as far as I did before I changed the needle length. It's practically knitting itself now. :)

Happy Lions

2008-02-23T11:18:00.004-06:00

The massive "lexan replacement with glass" project is finally done! Thank goodness. The cats were starting to get a little cranky at being locked in holding. It was only supposed to take 2 weeks and, of course, took 4. And the cats had to be locked in holding during that whole time. They weren't the only ones getting cranky about it...

Here is Jonathan enjoying the outside:

And Celesto inspecting *everything*. After all, there were people she didn't know in her territory. How dare they?!

Goofy Tori

2008-02-23T10:59:00.003-06:00