Saturday, May 29, 2010

Ted



This is Ted. Though Ted is of uncertain parentage, I do know he's part German Shepherd and part Corgi. Those little short legs of his scream Corgi. The one thing Ted loves to do more in the whole wide world is bark.


He barks.


And barks.


Then barks some more.


Mercy!

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Monday, May 24, 2010

Mythological Beasties and Co.



I just started a brand new blog called Mythological Beasties and Co. If you would like to visit it click HERE.


Friday, May 21, 2010

Cremello and Perlino Horses



I've always been fond of horses. Recently, I learned of a lovely color variation called cremello. The cremello is not a specific breed, but is formed by a double dilution gene resulting in an ivory or white horse with blue or very light amber eyes. Cremellos also have pink skin around their eyes, muzzle and underbelly. A horse who inherits two cream genes will be a cremello. If a horse only has one cream gene, he or she will be a palomino, buckskin or smoky black. Without any cream gene, the horse would be a sorrel or chestnut. 

 

Breeds who often produce cremellos include; Quarter Horses, Tennessee Walking Horses, draft horses and Arabians. 

  

Though the American Quarter Horse Association wouldn't allow cremellos into the registry for many years, they now do so.


A second color very similar to cremello is the perlino. Without the double dilute gene, the perlino would be a bay horse instead of a sorrel or chestnut. Though their coloring is almost the same as the cremello, the perlino has a reddish mane and tail. I think they're both very handsome. 


A common misconception is that cremellos and perlinos are weak and unhealthy. This is not true.They're not more prone to deafness or blindness than any other horse. They're also not albinos. So if you ever see a white horse with blue or very light amber eyes, you'll cleverly tell your friends all about cremellos and perlinos.


Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Happy Pug



Just dropped by to say "Hi"!


Saturday, May 15, 2010

Jo Jo, Charlie, Kiwi and Carmila the Tramp



I've written about Jo Jo and Charlie before. They're a pair of very cute Toy Poodles who live in Providence, Rhode Island. By some strange turn of events, I never mentioned Kiwi the Bird, and a stuffed teddy bear I like to call Carmila the Tramp. 

 

Charlie and his "girlfriend" Camila the Tramp. I won't say why she's called Camila the Tramp.
She just is. 

 

Kiwi is amazed.


Jo Jo is thoughtful.


Carmila says, "Bye."


Friday, May 14, 2010

Animal Rescue Stamps



On April 30th the U.S. Postal Service issued a collection of animal rescue stamps. The Halo pet food company (co-owned by Ellen Degeneres) pitched in by making one million meals available to shelter pets. The photographer, Sally Anderson-Bruce, took pictures of these homeless dogs and cats at her local shelter in New Milford, Connecticut. I'm happy to say all these pets now have families and homes to call their own. I love the little terrier on the top left. Which one do you like best?

The stamps can be ordered HERE.

Thursday, May 13, 2010

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Storm Defender Dog Coat



Is your dog terrified of thunder and lightening? One of my clients has a pair of greyhounds who panic when a storm appears. She swears by a product called Storm Defender. Storm Defender is a dog coat with a metallic lining that actually protects dogs from the static charge produced during a thunder storm. It's the static charge in the atmosphere causing your pet's terrified reaction. If your dog is afraid, you may notice he hides in the basement, or cowers near the toilet or tub. These places are electrically grounded and feel safer to your pet. 


 

This is a picture from the Storm Defender website. I recommended the coat to an acquaintance whose dog went out of his mind during lightening storms. I told her it worked for my client, but didn't know if the positive result was an odd freak that wouldn't work again. She sent for one and it did work. I was amazed. If you'd like to look into it yourself click HERE.
  

Saturday, May 8, 2010

Friday, May 7, 2010

Don't Even THINK of Parking Here!



This little furball is named Gremlin. He and his brother Rufus live in an apartment complex made from an old converted mill building. The building has an elevator, brick interior walls and many nice architectural details. The only thing really wrong with it is the miniscule number of guest parking spots available to visitors. I can't park in my client's reserved space, as he leaves his car behind when taking vacations. There are five parking spots available to nonresidents. It seems that EVERY time it rains, ALL the spots are full, so I have to park about a MILE away. Talk about a pain! 

Thank you for letting me get that off my chest. I feel much better. 


    

I'll stop now.



Like his brother, Rufus is a mass of fur that requires a lion trim in the summer. Both these cats are very friendly, and love it when I sit down so they can get on my lap. Like many Persian cats, they're prone to runny eyes. Since they don't enjoy having their eyes wiped off, they turn their heads away so I can't see what I'm doing. Sometimes I think I'm cleaning their flat little noses instead of their eyes. They have the cleanest noses of any cat in the state. 


  

Gremlin is looking a bit cranky in this picture.



I like this picture of Rufus better than the other one.



O.K.

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Superstickies



I like these little notes. If you go HERE you can make your own.

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Wella, What Was All That About?!



As a pet sitter, I occasionally receive odd requests for help from my clients. Recently, a client from Providence emailed asking me to send a forgotten tube of Wella hair dye she "desperately" needed. "This is odd!" I said to myself, "Can't she buy another tube in the state she's visiting?" Since my only experience with hair dye was a regrettable box of red, I wondered if a sudden shortage of Wella caused the major panic. "Maybe," a friend said, "she's a SPY."




Nurturing my fantasy of old fashioned spy dramas, I carefully read her emailed instructions of where to find the tube and how to send it. First, the instructions read, I needed to locate the garage door opener and remove the dye from the car's glove compartment. This was all very well and good, except the door opener was in a million pieces and needed reassembling. 


      


Once assembled, I handedly opened the garage door, unlocked the car door, and started rummaging through the glove compartment. Expecting to find the tube inside a box, I didn't instantly see it hiding under some papers and loose dollar bills. Snatching it up, I returned to the house. My next instructions were to drive the tube to U.P.S. where a man behind the desk was expecting me. At least I wasn't required to package it myself! 


  


Handing over the tube of Wella to the U.P.S. man (clearly C.I.A.), I happily returned to my car pleased to avoid a ticket for leaving it in a no parking zone. So ended my adventure with the mysterious tube of Wella.


 

Someday I'll write about the time I watched a client try to curse her coworkers.

Sunday, May 2, 2010

Cute Video




This is a great video. I love the way they're so sweet together.