June 29, 2008

I have a sneaking suspicion that one of my chickens MIGHT be a smoker!


I've recently discovered WHY this happens to chickens...but it really cracked me up when I first saw it! It's actually a sign that a chicken could be going into a moult, or so I've been told!
Summer is here in full-force and time is limited. We always tend to think that life will somehow slow down when you take the kids' school schedule out of the equation....but nothing could be further from the truth! We have story time at the library on Monday, summer reading program on Wednesday, waterpark on Thursday, and so many other things that keep us having to do something almost every single day.
We also adopted a dog, who is fitting in even better than I could have expected! Her name is Lily and she's said to be about four years old. She was pregnant with a litter when she came to our local shelter and a good friend of mine ended up fostering her. She had seven of the most adorable stinkin' puppies and was a great mom. She was so mellow and not at all nervous about strangers messing with her pups! I am in no place in my life to want a puppy right now, or ever. I like dogs. Puppies are cute, but I have no desire to own one! Lily doesn't chew, doesn't whimper, and is already housebroken. We know exactly who she is as a dog, as her personality and limits have already been established. She's a smart little dog with lots of energy, without being high-strung in the least. She's about 20 pounds and almost knee-heigh to a short adult. (Okay...ME!)
Day 1 was a bit rough for her:


But, by Day 2, she and Soccer were forming a pretty decent tolerance of one another:



...and she was modeling the latest doggy fashions (that you can find at Target for a DOLLAR, anyway!) with ease and grace:


She's a real natural, isn't she?

And, just today, she has come around a lot more and is running all over the place with the energy of a puppy, without all the whimpering and extra spots in my carpet!



If you are thinking about getting a dog, you really should think about adopting an adult from your local shelter. There are so many wonderful companions that may be left undiscovered without someone to give them a home and a life. And, for goodness sake PLEASE get your pets spayed and neutered!!!! All it takes is a trip to the shelter to see the realization of how many of those helpless animals will be put to death because 'their people' let them down. Maybe they never even had people, but at some point some person screwed up in order for these furry friends to end up where they are.

And, most of your local shelters have foundations and programs set up to offer low cost spay and neutering. If you can't afford that, maybe you shouldn't have a pet to begin with!

I'll admit that I have been part of the problem. Now, I'm working on being a part of the solution. Where do you stand?

6 comments:

stephanie said...

We have been whole-hearted supporters of the animal-adoption process. You offer an important yet delightful example of the best parts of that. Love the pics :D

(The egg picture is hilarious, btw).

wildtomato said...

Here here! Yes, I fully endorse getting non-puppy canines from the pound. It is so much easier, and they bond to you just as well as puppies. Vespa is glued to my feet as I type...

Your Pal Pinki said...

Where can we get such a cute hat for our puppy dog??? : ) She's a rescued pup too and we just brought home a kitty sister for her from the shelter. It's fun to watch them play.

Your Pal Pinki said...

I just saw you got the hat at Target, I'm headed over there! : )

Jeanne Elle said...

Our shelters (BC spcas) include $50 towards spay/nueter when you adopt. It's an awesome perk, and it's something we've always done.

Elle said...

she's beautiful - we have two cats we've gotten from a rescue organization. and yep - they came fully trained - no jumping on counters or tables, no scratching things they shouldn't... much nicer than kittens!

you have chickens! i'm dying to get a couple (there are only three of us) but i'm not sure how to deal with the winter - or how to build a coop. there are community ed classes here - i'll have to go check one out.