September 2011
1 post
WatchLotus and the Brush.
April 2011
1 post
WatchLotus’ first video. Because I’d rather make videos than write papers.
January 2011
3 posts
if you sleep with your pet... →
Seriously, click this link to watch a superb... →
November 2010
1 post
October 2010
21 posts
one more lesson from our pets
forever is composed of nows ~e.dickinson
We all bustle about our days in the greatest of hurries, all absorbed in our own lists and errands, musings and strains. Neglecting our relationships and ourselves, we make promises for the future, for when we get home later, for when there is more time. The blunt honest cliche truth, however, is that there is never more time. There is only now.
...
Watchtrue life: stinkbugs are everywhere
“Lots of people talk to animals…. Not very many listen, though…....”
– The Tao of Pooh
“The best thing about animals is that they don’t talk much.”
– Thornton Wilder
Maggie's Pup! Baby Sea Lion @ Pgh Zoo →
kpops04 asked: can i work on your farm? :)
My cousin Marc once interviewed me as a seven year...
Marc: Why do you miss your old house so much?
7-year-old-me: Because it had a dog house and I want to live in a dog house when I grow up.
Marc: What's your favorite animal?
7-year-old-me: That's EEEEEASY -- A horse and a dog.
7-year-old-me: I want a farm with lots of animals when I grow up.
“The purity of a person’s heart can be quickly measured by how they regard...”
– Anonymous
If you don't volunteer here yet, what are you...
I am absolutely, irrevocably, and unconditionally, head over heels in doggy love, with the work that Animal Friends does. If I could spend every waking hour there, I would. The programs and community of people that continue to grow and develop with the shelter wows me every day. This morning, for instance, a group of volunteers headed out to our local park with some shelter dogs that could...
5 things shelter advocates wish you knew
You probably know, deep down, the 5 things that I am going to say. It never hurts, however, to be reminded, and to even pass on the message to some friends who may be unaware.
1. You CAN help end the Pet-Overpopulation crisis
I’m sure you know that millions of animals are euthanized each year in shelters (HSUS estimates 3-4 million). Each year, approximately one-million puppies are produced by...
You know your family is nutty about animals,...
1. Every dog has its own place in the bed. If the human doesn’t fit, the human finds a different bed.
2. You get a call on Christmas morning saying the horses broke down their barn door and are exploring the neighborhood… (they were found at the Klaus house, for real).
3. The dogs get breakfast before you get your coffee.
4. The smallest and oldest dog eats from the kitchen table, off of...
You are a reflection of your animal
The saying goes that pet owners look like their pets. If not physically similar, then there at least exists spiritual, internal, similarities. As owners we are drawn to what embodies particular animals and we often displace some of our selves onto our pets.
My father was drawn to the Brittany (once called the Brittany Spaniel, now just the Brittany), a hunting dog with medium-length, white and...
September 2010
7 posts
Making connections
I’m graduating this spring. With this comes the question: What do I plan on doing with my education? I’ll be finishing with a BS in Psychology, a BA in Non-fiction Writing and a minor in Social Work. How do all of these things intermingle, you ask? Well, I pursued Psychology for the sake of studying animal behavior. Psychology was the best way to go, since when you really get down to it, humans...
Stinkbugs: animals? or alien invaders?
With the approach of fall we can all begin to seek relief from these alien invaders that have taken over our cities.My first encounter with them was in the spring when their UFO’s were first landing – I opened my window to enjoy the fresh spring breeze and was confronted by a nest of them toppling down onto my head and into my bedroom. Thus, my bedroom became their first colony (or so in my head...
Pittsburgh zoo welcomes 3 baby amur tigers! →
I brake for leaves...
I brake for leaves…just in case they are really frogs.
This was my first thought when someone asked me what I would tell someone who just doesn’t get it. “It” as being my passion for animals. I admit there are people who probably think I am a little nutty. There are people who probably don’t understand why I keep spare leashes and animal carriers in my car. There are people who are...
“Until one has loved an animal,
a part of one’s soul remains unawakened.”
– Anatole France
The last thing and the best thing
When I first came to the shelter there was a major phenomenon occurring that I wanted in on… the act of fostering. Different animals needed fostering for different reasons. I had no particular animal in mind, but I knew I wanted in on this partnership with the shelter. I asked a few people who they thought could really use a foster home and almost unanimously, every person answered… Barberry.
When...
“There is no death, only a change of worlds.”
– Chief Seattle
August 2010
2 posts
WatchBruno is my sister’s new puppy! Anelia is my current bottle baby…
I've never touched death
I’ve seen it on the side of the road in the form of a raccoon or opossum. I’ve felt its presence hovering around a soul at the end of its life. But I’ve never had to watch a body to see whether its belly was rising or falling to the rhythm of its breath. I had never touched death up until two days ago when I walked into a room and found the kitten that I had been fighting to have live, lying...
July 2010
5 posts
Photos from Best Friends
The largest no-kill animal sanctuary in the nation that houses approximately 2,000 dogs, horses, cats, pigs, bunnies and birds over miles and miles of beautiful desert territory… Many of the animals will live here forever with their severe behavioral or medical needs. Best Friends is home to many animals that survived Katrina, Beirut, The Great Kitty Rescue, and most notably — 22 of...
Puppy play school****
I traveled to Best Friends under the impression that I would be working hard labor from sunrise to sunset. Two days into the trip I still hadn’t walked a dog or scrubbed a kennel and I was getting a little frustrated. We had left Sunday morning for the trip and it was not until Tuesday morning that the volunteering at the sanctuary actually began. I had my walking boots on, my hair pulled back,...
Best Friends Animal Society... here I come :)
This coming Sunday I am departing for a bittersweet trip to, what many people say, is the most wonderful place in the world… Best Friends Animal Society. I’ve been looking forward to this trip for months — I’ll be working with animals all day long with no other distractions. I’m leaving with a heavy heart though as I leave my sickling behind. When I planned the trip...
Why cat's have claws, and why you should keep... →
Animal Friend’s poster… my viewpoint on declawing: Just don’t do it, k?
Pittsburgh Veterinary Specialty and Emergency...
I remember when it opened —I thought to myself I’m so glad they are so close in case I need them in an emergency. While at the same time I hoped I would never need them. Every time I pass by the veterinary hospital these same two thoughts float to the surface in my mind.
Four days ago, on July 4, I woke up to find that my Julie kitten couldn’t move… I thought that maybe...
June 2010
8 posts
Birds live on the edge... Pittsburgh's wildlife...
Have you ever had a bird sitting in the middle of the road in the direction that you were driving? Birds seem to be daredevils, thrill-seekers, in the way that they wait until the very last moment to fly away from underneath your vehicle – right in the nick of time. Ever brake for a bird and then feel silly because they were just using you to seek their thrill? Don’t feel silly. Birds are often...
It's a JULIE kitten!
I entered the shelter this weekend to find two new very large, black, male kittens sitting in a cage. One had long shaggy hair and the other had short hair with a little white on the inside of his ears. They were tumbing around in their cage and I almost didn’t recognize them as being my old bottle babies Pete and Link. I probably didn’t realize it was them right away because something was...
Sonatinas in a storm
Humans tend to underestimate the intelligence of dogs. It’s true that they lack the ability to produce human language, but we tend to ignore their behaviors that would make them seem far superior than us human folk. A dog’s ability to detect cancer cells or find illegal drugs just by using its sense of smell is a feat that no human will ever be able to perform. Dogs can sense storms hours and days...
“If dogs could talk, it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one”
– Andy Rooney
Sticking needles
Tonight marked the beginning of Barberry’s fluid treatment at home. I posted earlier about how she is in chronic renal failure so will need subcutaneous fluids about twice a week to keep her hydrated and comfortable. Unfortunately, she had not had fluids for two weeks because I was waiting for her script to be filled at the shelter. Thus, I called the vet to get her fluids sooner…
At...
Spoiled pets get their photos done professionally
Only those who treat their animals like their children get professional photos taken of them… Luckily, I was able to do this today without blowing my wallet! Animal Friends, the Pittsburgh shelter I volunteer with, hosted a “Pet Photos with Natalie” day… I reserved my spot weeks ago because they always fill up! The shoot was for Molly & Mulligan today… Maggie...
Stephen & Priscilla
On Thursday I received a call from my close friend, Vyckee, who told me her neighbor had found two newborn kittens in her backyard. Vyckee, knowing I had just finished raising 3 foster kittens called me because she was concerned for their well-being.. The family that had found the kittens had two young children who had been playing with them all day long and she guessed that the kittens were...
May 2010
4 posts
Mod Squad to Lost Squad
For 4 weeks I had three kittens living with me.They were found abandoned in a cemetery in a box. At four weeks of age it was clear that they had been raised with their mother for a short period; they seemed strong enough and healthy enough, at just under a pound each, to not be bottle-fed. Pete, Link and Julie were named after the television series The Mod Squad; they had black hair and were...
