Last fall I found Merlin.  Merlin is a 8 year old Hackney pony who was abused.  I got him with the thought that I would work with him to help him regain his confidence in the human race.  It has been a long winter but Merlin is making progress.  I guess I just didn’t realize how much effort would go into such small steps.

I still have my 2 other horses Magic and Mystic.  Magic is my most advanced show horse and the show season is quickly approaching.  Although he is already very well trained, he has been off all winter and needs some intensive work to get back into show ring shape.  Mystic is a long way from the show ring, but as with all driving horses he needs miles and miles of “practice” to become dependable. 

My day job is also demanding more and more over night travel.  My calendar looks like I am some sort of travelling salesman or something!

This week was the last straw.  I caught the flu and haven’t been off the couch for days.  It put me so far behind in my job, horses and finally the blog.  Something has to give and it is going to be the blog.

I have enjoyed my time here writing these blogs.  It was fun and something I am glad I tried.  I hope you have learned something and have gotten a chuckle or two.  I also hope to someday be back writing–if not in a blog, maybe in another form.  So I guess this really isn’t a good bye, just a break for now.  So with that I say:  “See ya later!” 

It also touched on divorce cases where animals were fought over like children in custody cases.  But it breifly mentioned abuse/cruelty cases, and that is the area that concerns me the most.

Now don’t get me wrong.  As I have said in the past, animals deserve to be treated better (in the eyes of the law) than just property.  Who cares if you leave your car out in the back field to slowly dissolve into a pile of rust, but when you do that to an animal you should be imprisoned.  So yes animals deserve some rights. 

If you talk to PETA they will tell you that animals are beings that deserve to be free from ownership.  Humans would become caretakers and animals would be free to come and go as they wished.  In this situation could a caretaker be sued for not taking his dog on daily walks?  Or maybe sued for feeding a non designer type of dog food?  Would the care and attention that you can give no longer be “good enough”?

That’s the part that worries me about animal rights.  Every animal has the right not to suffer.  Beyond that, I’m just not so sure.

Last week sometime around dusk I went out to feed the horses.  I put food in the first bucket and patiently waited for the first horse to come charging into his stall. 

I waited and waited and nothing happened.  No pounding hoof beats from them running toward the barn.  No squeals from them squabbling about who gets to the door first.  Nothing.

So I walked out into the pasture and there they were.  All three were standing like statues; ears pricked forward, eyes wide and nostrils flaring.  They were looking off into the back of the paddock where a small creek cuts our property in half. 

And there in the middle of the creek was a beautiful white swan!  It quietly swam up the stream until it came to a small pool of water right in front of all three horses.  What a breath taking sight–so big and so majestic. 

Thus far this year I have seen numerous coyotes, hawks, herons, turkeys, deer, rabbits, and now a swan.  Then last Saturday the frogs started to sing.  You could not miss their songs because they were so loud. 

Now every time I go outside I look for wildlife and listen for the new songs of spring. 

Spring is on its way and I am VERY ready for it!

This article was about all the vacant homes with the family pets STILL in them.  Yes it seems when you can’t pay the mortgage and have to move out of your home, you no longer have compassion for the other members of your family.  The people just pack up, lock up and leave the pets behind to die.  One pet was found running down the street chasing after the family that was leaving it behind.

How people can do this is beyond me.  But what we need to do is be aware of what is occuring in your neighborhood.  If the family down the street moves away and they leave a vacant house, and they used to have a pet—be on the lookout for signs the pet is still there.  In fact it really wouldn’t hurt to go over and look in the windows just to make sure.  If anyone asks, you can always say that you are interested in buying the house and wanted to take a look. 

Now more than ever we need to be on the lookout for acts of cruelty.  By being aware of what is going on around us, we can prevent needless suffering of innocent animals.

Easter has come and gone and with it another sad result:  thousands of unwanted rabbits, chickens and ducks.  Sure they are adorable when they are bunnies, chicks and ducklings.  But as we all know, they eventually grow up.  And that is when they are no longer cute and fun.  They are now a HUGE responsibility that most families are not willing to take on for the life time of the pet.

So these animals are dumped on to rescue groups and shelters in droves.  In fact, rabbits are the third most common animal abandoned at shelters here in Michigan after dogs and cats.  About 800 rabbits a year are taken in by the Michigan Humane Society alone.  (This number does not reflect all the independent rescue groups and county shelters throughout Michigan.) 

There are a couple of reasons this happens every year.  The first being tradition.  These animals represent spring and along with an Easter basket, they are a rite of the holiday.  The second reason is that they are simply adorable with their floppy ears, fuzzy feathers and little quacking noises.  But let me warn you right now that a holiday and a cuteness factor are NEVER good reasons for bringing another family member into your home.

A pet is a very big commitment that can last decades in some cases, (70 years for a parrot for example).  Food, exercise, veterinary care, accessories, pet sitting/boarding, cleaning, grooming, training, housing, and time spent interacting with it are costly both in the monetary and time arenas.   Getting one has to be thought out carefully.  Can you afford both the time AND money it takes to care for it?  Will this type of pet fit into your lifestyle even after it grows up?  Getting a pet for a child is a good idea—unless it is only for that child.  Because what happens if the child becomes bored or disinterested with it?  A new pet is a new family member and can not be “gotten rid of” just because you move, have a baby, or get bored. 

Think before you buy.  Yes they are cute now—so go get a poster of one.  Then do some research about the animal.  Talk to people who have them.  Speak to a veterinarian about them.  Talk to other members of your family and yes even your landlord.  Realize that once you have this pet you are morally bound to care for it for the rest of its life no matter what happens.  Then decide what is right for you.        

Most animal training is accomplished with positive reinforcement.  That is to say that if you want your pet to do something, you reward the good behavior and ignore everything else.  But sometimes the owner needs to also react to poor behavior.  Things like jumping up on guests, and excessive barking at the mailman are not easily fixed by just turning away. 

Fill your sprayer bottle with either pure tap water, water and apple cider vinegar, or water and a touch of lemon juice.  The ingredients depend on your pets taste buds.  Some find water disgusting enough, like my Boxers!  But in water loving pets, a bad taste is the active ingredient. 

When your pet (and this works just as well with cats and other pets too), jumps up on you when you get home,  arm yourself with the bottle and spray a stream of water in their face.  A couple of squirts on successive days and the dog will learn quickly that jumping up on people just gets him wet. 

Spray bottles are a great, yet harmless tool to help train your pet to be a pleasant member of your family.

Put your hand in the bag and pick up a small portion of the doo.  As you pull your hand out of the bag, keep grasping the doo and invert the bag so it stays inside, and the outside of the bag is clean.  Tie off the opening and put a label on it so your vet can tell which dog you are having tested for worms.  If you have more than one dog you can take a small sample from each animal or mix them together.  (As a general rule, if one of your dogs has intestinal parasites, they all do.)

If you are cleaning up the yard and find a shovel hard to maneuver, just slip one of these over your hand and start picking up the piles.  It helps if you take along a garbage can with a plastic bag already in it to drop your doo into.  When you are done, slip the bag off and you have stayed clean!

And finally stuff these bags into a pocket or fanny pack anytime you take your dog for a walk.  If an accident happens, you are ready.  They take up little space and are a life saver when you need them.  Good dog owners pick up after their pets and leave no trace of their pets when they walk by.  Isn’t that what you expect your neighbors to do for you?

I was amazed at some of the things you can bid on.  Vacations, boat slips, food baskets, pet items, Tiger tickets, gym memberships, artwork, and yes, even bagels from Panera Bread for a whole year!  (That one is mine for sure!)

 So mark the date– March 15, 2008 at 6pm.  Tickets are still available and they are only $50 each.  And remember this is a charity and every deduction counts at tax time.

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