Solo Goes Home and… Paris Hilton, Dog Breeder?

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Well, life out here in the country sure can be a pain in the butt. A wicked winter ice storm knocked my satellite internet out of service from Sunday afternoon until yesterday morning, and I’ve been going through some serious net surfing withdrawal pains.

Needless to say, I also have some blog post catching upping* to do…

*(is that an actual term? If it isn’t, it should be)

Solo’s New Family

As I mentioned previously, Solo went home with his new family on Sunday morning. Having him gone has been really hard — probably the hardest puppy I’ve ever let go. I think a lot of that has to do with losing Delilah’s brother last summer – but part of it is definately about how special a boy Solo is.

Knowing that he’s someplace where he is so well loved has been a definite comfort, although not to Dexter – he REALLY misses Solo, and has woken me up every night since he left.

Susan, Solo’s new mom, has written up a brief bio about herself and her family, and about how Solo is fitting into their home.

Solo’s new family

We are so blessed to have been able to add Solo to our family. We feel so lucky to have been able to have this opportunity and feel he is the perfect fit. My husband and I have 2 boys, ages 9 and 7, both boys have different levels of Autism. They are both extremely sensitive boys, with a very quirky nature, and the usual behaviours associated with Autism. They were raised around dogs and cats and have always had a compassionate way with creatures of any kind. I am a stay at home mom, so I am always available to be there for my kids and the pets. Solo is our first Frenchie, as we have had large dogs before.

He is a joy to have around, he is not just a pretty face. He is so loving and is always following the boys around the house. He just loves to be around people. He loves to be held and cuddled and we hope one day to have him doing therapy work once he is old enough. I see great things for this little guy, who has stolen all our hearts. He is incredibly smart, which was very surprising to me. He has us all trained already!! He has caught on so fast to his new house and routine. I can just gush over him forever, and he is very photogenic to boot.

We thank our lucky stars everyday to have Solo join our family!!!! We are more than thankful to Carol and Barb for all the thought, work, blood, sweat and tears they put into their dogs. Especially the loving care for Solo, for that is what made him what he is today, a true blessing. And I would also like to thank everyone who rooted for him, and sent their thoughts and prayers for him, thank you, thank you, thank you. He is a special little guy, who has made our special little family a very happy one!

Susan, Terry, Sean and Ian Snider, and wet kisses from Solo

Lots of new photos of Solo with his people (and their toys!) here, or in the slide show below.

Adventures in Puppy Land

Well, tis finally done. Both Journey and Paris have been bred, and what a long, strange trip that has been. Daily 2 hour round trips northward for blood testing and Draminski testing for the past 2 weeks, numerous snow storm delays, worries over sperm shipping, a vet bill well into four figures and counting, and we’re still not guaranteed that either of them is pregnant.

Someone be sure to let me know when all this lucrative dog money we breeders are supposed to have is going to start flowing, because I could sure use it to pay off my Mastercard bill.

In a month or so from now we’ll haul them both in for ultrasounds and see if there are any babies percolating in their bellies.

Of course, I could go the Paris Hilton route, and just let them free range around the yard reproducing willy nilly…

Thank doG she never ended up with a Frenchie. The mind reels.

The Los Angeles Department of Animal Services paid a visit to the home of Paris Hilton today to investigate a complaint about her dogs.

Captain Bowers tells TMZ his department received a complaint from an animal rescue group, after Paris’ appearance on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” on Monday. On the show, Paris talked about having 17 dogs — a huge no-no in the city of Los Angeles. A non-breeder is only allowed three dogs per address — though in Hollywood, Paris is considered a notorious breeder!

Captain Bowers tells us he went to her home Tuesday, only to find it’s under serious construction and nobody — including pets — is living there. So Captain Bowers left word with a maid and hasn’t heard back.

We’re told all of Paris’ pets are not currently living with her — they are with animal handlers.

Here’s Paris on Ellen, busting herself. I suppose it’s better she’s pumping out puppies than babies… too bad Brit Brit didn’t think of that before becoming a breeder.

Ellie Has Insomnia

Every breeder I know of has at least one ‘special’ dog or two. Ours is named Ellie, and she has a hard time falling asleep. Y’know how kids will get totally, fall over sleepy, so sleepy that their heads are nodding – but they will still refuse to let themselves fall asleep?

That’s Ellie.

I can’t really explain it more than that, other than to tell you to watch the video.

Thursday Thirteen – 13 Idiotic Quotes from Peta & Ingrid Newkirk

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Oh, I know – it’s an easy target to choose, simply because almost everything that comes out of their mouths is completely moronic, but hey! Sometimes a girl just needs to vent a little bit, especially in light of Peta’s recent comparison of the AKC and the KKK.

1. The smallest form of life, even an ant or a clam, is equal to a human being.
-Ingrid Newkirk, PETA

2. We feel animals have the same rights as a retarded human child.
-Alex Pacheco (PETA)

3. Six million Jews died in concentration camps, but six billion broiler chickens will die this year in slaughter houses.
-Ingrid Newkirk (PETA)

4. Pet ownership is an “absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation.”
-Ingrid Newkirk, PETA

5. Arson, property destruction, burglary and theft are “acceptable crimes” when used for the animals’ cause.
-Alex Pacheco (PETA)

6. Even if animal tests produced a cure for AIDS, “We’d be against it.”
-Ingrid Newkirk, PETA

7. “Animal liberationists do not separate out the human animal, so there is no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy. They’re all mammals.”
Ingrid Newkirk – Founder, PETA

8. “Humans have grown like cancer. We’re the biggest blight on the face of the planet.”
Ingrid Newkirk – Founder, PETA

9. “…Eventually companion animals would be phased out, and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship, enjoyment at a distance.”
Ingrid Newkirk – Founder, PETA

10. “We have a lazy, sick society. People bring diseases on themselves. [People should] avoid getting the disease in the first place.”
Dan Mathews – PETA spokesperson

11. “Homelessness drives me crazy! I take responsibility for everything that happens to me. Everyone can pull themselves up. I have more sympathy for animals because they don’t deserve anything that happens to them. They’re innocent.”
PETA member – “What Becomes a Zealot Most?”, GQ Magazine November 1993

12. “In a perfect world, all other than human animals would be free of human interference, dogs and cats would part of the ecological scheme.”
PETA’s Statement on Companion Animals

13. “Probably everything we do is a publicity stunt…We are not here to gather members, to please, to placate, to make friends. We’re here to hold
the radical line.”
Ingrid Newkirk – Founder, PETA

Bringing Home the Dogs of War

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I’m not going to go into the politics of how I feel about the war, because if I did, Barb’s head would explode.

I will, however, go into how I feel about a government that finds it acceptable to train dogs to serve as part of a military force, but then refuses to help them find loving retirement homes when they are no longer of use. Stunned, angered and.. well, pissed off would pretty much sum it up.

Like many people, I’d heard about the Federal Bill, signed into law by Bill Clinton, that is supposed to protect and safeguard the well being of military service dogs. What I didn’t realize is that compliance with the law isn’t mandatory – it’s optional. This, of course, begs the question of what the actual point of the law is, other than a feel good measure designed to placate the public, while still letting the military off the hook.

In an article on BestFriends.Org, Mike Fry, executive director of Animal Ark, a no-kill shelter in Minnesota’s Twin Cities that’s been helping military dogs in Iraq since the war began, explains –

“A lot of people think the law requires that (service dogs) be cared for,”

“It just makes it an option. It doesn’t require it,” he continued. “It should be mandatory that if we’re going to breed and deploy and use these animals for our military, we should make sure they have a quality life after their service is over.”

The law mandated that retired military service dogs should be offered for adoption to

…police agencies and other qualified people… once they’re determined adoptable by both the commanders of the dogs’ last units at the recommendation of military veterinarians

The problem with this is that military veterinarians – who aren’t experienced in either behaviorism or dog training – too often deem the dogs to be ‘too vicious’ to be placed into retirement homes.

The biggest drawback of all, however, is that the dogs are not available for adoption to civilians, and that the military does not allow animal rescue groups to foster them. As Staff Sgt. Casey Gregg, spokesman at the kennels of the Fort Myer Army Base in Arlington, Virginia, says –

“We adopt out to military personnel,” Gregg said in a telephone interview. “This isn’t a public facility. These are police dogs. We’re not a rescue kennel.”

It’s disturbing enough to know that, even when experienced rescue groups offer to take on these dogs, they are refused. It’s even more disturbing to know that the dogs currently deployed in Iraq aren’t even guaranteed a return flight home. In fact, there’s nothing in place to stop the military from simply abandoning them and leaving them behind when the troops finally pull out.

“There’s nothing in place to guarantee that the dogs will come back from Iraq,” Fry said. “I think it should be flat-out national policy that those dogs should never be left behind. The existing law gives the secretary of defense authority as to whether we bring them back or not. If you contact your representatives, they’ll say it’s been taken care of with that law, but it’s not true.

“There’s no reason why these dogs can’t simply get on those planes with their handlers and go home.”

Read the rest of the article here.

As the video below explains, the Iraq war is costing each American citizen an average of $275 per month. Shouldn’t some of that be used to ensure that ex military dogs get the hero’s return and retirement they’ve so richly earned?

Thanks to TerrierMan for the video link.

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Podcasting, anyone?

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Hey, I just found this awesome new tool on the Pro version of Blip TV – Podcasting! I’ve been subscribing to Podcasts for ages, in particular the Ricky Gervais show, and Indie Feed, but I didn’t realize I could syndicate my Blip TV videos via podcast.

If you want to subscribe, our feed address is –

http://frogdog.blip.tv/rss/itunes/

In case you’ve never subscribed to a podcast before, here’s how you do so —

Open Advanced in iTunes
Open iTunes, then click on the ‘Advanced’ tab, then choose ‘subscribe to Podcast’

Enter Feed Address
Paste feed address url into the ‘subscribe to podcast’ window

Choose which podcasts to download into iTunes (they’ll be uploaded onto your iPod next time you synch it)
Choose which podcasts to download into iTunes (they’ll be uploaded onto your iPod next time you synch it)

Voila! Frenchie videos on your iPod or iPhone.

Isn’t technology wonderful?

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Evaluating Embedded Video Players

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As you might have noticed, I usually use the YouTube video player when I’m embedding a video in a blog entry. This is because YouTube is the ‘standard’ for embedded video, and certainly not because it is the best.

The best, in my opinion, is Blip.Tv

The videos retain more of their original quality, the screen size is more generous, and the player is cleaner looking. I’ve heard from a few people that they can’t see the Blip player, which means that all of the great qualities in the world are suddenly moot.

Please take a minute and complete this quick poll, and let me know which player you prefer, if you prefer any, and help me decide which format to keep using.

Answers will open in a new window.

Evaluating Video Players

Let me know if the Blip Player works for you, or if I should continue using YouTube

Current Results