I was born April 2nd 1968 in Topeka, KS. No, I don’t know where Toto went, but I do know where Toby* is, he’s currently chasing K2* (one of my cat’s) up and down the hall. Yes, this is usual for them at 2am. We live with no rules… well, unless we have something we have to do. Or my daughter does. Or…
Well anyway, at 2am we have no rules and live for the moment until bedtime (somewhere between now and 4am).
*Toby is my dog. He is half Chihuahua half Mini Pin and will be 2 years old in Feb. He’s a black & tan with one erect ear and one ‘folded’ ear. His actual name is Toblerone because he kind of resembles the package/box the Toblerone candy comes in, long and high to a point at the top. He sometimes looks like a rat running along with his longish body and arched back, other times like a deer curled up in some brush with their long necks and delicate heads perched on them.
*K2 is one of my (and my youngest daughters’) 3 cats. The only Male, he’s a beautiful, fluffy orange tabby. I call him the ‘weirdy’. But there’s a method to his madness. He can find joy and amusement in everything at any time in any place. I’ve seen him walk by a blank wall and suddenly spar with it, then scamper on his way. He can hear a Coke bottle open from a week away and come running looking for the lid. He’s in the litter box right now and he’s having too much fun digging, I can tell. Forbid anyone else is in the box trying to relieve themselves, this is when he has them as a captive audience to reach in and bat at them, like he suddenly forgot they were the same 2 cats he lives with day in, day out & some strange animal is now bumping and scrabbling around in the covered box purely for his amusement.
You know, I almost reached down and pet a chewed up stuffed (and with squeaker still intact! A record after 6 weeks!) turkey of Toby’s. I saw it out of the corner of my eye just as I shifted in my chair and assumed it was a cat, a dog, a cat or a cat, and see how well they have me trained? They don’t even have to make a sound or nudge me, as soon as they’re in my vision my hand drops to pet.
I’m doomed.
Whoops. So much for about me blather. Guess I’ll have to work on that tomorrow. Actually, later today.
*I wrote this for a friend who’s Dog had passed away.
(Originally Written August 2008)
As your tears wet her fur that in past shed so incessantly
I write you these words, thinking she might approve.
Bless the paws that muddied your pants
Bless her nose that wet your hand with its sneaky touch
Bless those velvet ears that twitched to your voice
She’s being scratched on her neck by Angels this night
Bless those legs that ran beside you
Bless those precious noises she made only for you
The snorts, the whines, the sighs the yaps…
Bless that mighty tail with a life all its own
How it wiggled her rear with the power of its movement…
Bless the memory of all these things and all that she was to you
That piece of your Soul she earlier took away with her
She’s got it there waiting, for when you come to walk her again.
Originally posted elsewhere April ‘08
In the dog world, if you own a purebred show dog, they must remain unaltered/NOT spayed or neutered, so they are referred to as a ‘Bitch’ for Females and a ‘Dog’ for Males. Although it’s taken me a while, I finally found a program that is helping me with the cost to have Toby neutered by his own vet, which I am very pleased with, because its close, and they know Toby since they are his regular doctors.
His appointment is Tuesday morning.
He is half Chihuahua and half Miniature Pinscher, he has an amazing personality for a ’small dog’, he loves people, isn’t shy or yappy or nippy or weird and I have been asked a few times if I am going to breed him. No.
He IS a great dog, but since he’s turned one I have noticed a little change in his attitude/behavior and its typical male, testosterone induced behavior. He’ll be much happier and more relaxed being neutered, and healthier. Dogs don’t live in their minds like humans do, so he won’t be mourning the ‘loss of his manhood’ or anything, he’ll just not have that hormonal distraction. He’ll be happier enjoying our walks without his little distractions, and won’t have to worry about certain cancers as he ages.
The only downside I can see from his being neutered is that he is already a bit top (front) heavy. He runs down the stairs so fast his rear legs sometimes never touch the ground. He doodies sometimes and his whole back end comes right up off the ground! He’s run to the end of his leash and almost went end over end because he jerked to a stop and his back end is so light it just comes off the ground & goes airborne, keeps on going. So if I need to I’ll have to have his little scrawny back legs fitted with weights to balance him out.
But seriously, yeah, he might make cute and well tempered babies, but trust me, there are more than enough cool puppies & dogs out there who need a home right now.
Not to mention the cats & kittens (kittens are even harder than puppies to find GOOD homes for!). I have 3 cats and all of them are ‘fixed’.
And it’s Spring, so the Canines & Felines will be out en force, so PLEASE either keep their fluffy butts indoors or get them fixed. And if you find yourself furry-friendless, consider adopting a stress reliever/best friend who never cares how you look, what you wear, what you drive, how much money you have (as long as there’s enough for kibble) if you showered today, if you pass gas too much, if you don’t go to church, if you are OCD… you get the idea. And they’re always insanely happy to see you even if you just go to the mail box and back! Even cats, they just don’t like to show it, it’ll ruin their reputation.
