Links and Cool Stuff

Links & Cool Stuff

10 Commandments for Pet Owners
(from a pet's perspective)

1. My life is likely to last 10 to 15 years or more. Any separation from you
will be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want from me. Don't break my
spirit with your temper, though I will always forgive you. Your patience will
teach me more effectively.

3. Please have me spayed or neutered.

4. Treat me kindly, my beloved friend, for no heart in all the world is more
grateful for your kindness than mine. Don't be angry with me for long, and
don't lock me up as punishment. After all, you have your job, your friends,
your entertainment, and I only have you.

5. Speak to me often. Even if I don't understand your words, I understand
your voice when it's speaking to me. Your voice is the sweetest sound I
ever hear, as you must know by my enthusiasm whenever I hear your
footsteps.

6. Take me in when it's cold and wet. I'm a domestic animal and am no
longer accustomed to the bitter elements. I ask for little more than your
gentle hands petting me. Keep my bowl filled with water. Feed me good
food so that I may stay well to romp and play. By your side, I stand ready,
willing and able to share my life with you, for that is what I live for. I'll
never forget how well you've treated me.

7. Don't hit me. Remember, I have teeth that could easily crush the bones
in your hand, but I choose not to bite.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if
something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food,
I've been out in the sun too long, my ear may hurt, or my heart may be
getting weak.

9. Take care of me when I get old. For you will grow old, too.

10. When I am old, or when I no longer enjoy good health, please do not
make heroic efforts to keep me going. I am not having fun. Just see to it
that my trusting life is taken gently. And be with me on that difficult
journey when it's time to say goodbye. Never say, "I just can't bear to
watch it." Everything is easier for me when you are there. I will leave this
earth knowing with my last breath that my fate was always safest in your
hands. I love you.

---author unknown

Great Chihuahua Names

Female Names

Male Names

Aspen     Leopoldo    Banjo    Lucky    Bingo
Manny    BomBom     Mikey    Boogie   Miko
Buffy      Mr Bean      Caliber   Nino     Cassy
Rascal   Chahi          Rebel    Deni      Riku
Diggers Robbie        Doughnut
Rocky    Dozer           Rollo     Figo       Romeo
Flame    Rusty           Flamenco
Santano Flashpoint   Scotty   Gator     Spider
Gizmo    Superman    Teddy Gullit      Tipper
Hammie Tucker         Huggybear          Walker
Hummingbird             Wiggles              Indigo
Willy      Jazzman        Zizu

Amour         Jeraldine           Arci             Jinna
Astra           June                 Baba            Kona
Ballerina      Lotta                Belle             Lotti
Bianca         Magic               Blondie         Mina
Brownie       Minx                 Caramia      Mouse
Chantal       Munch             Chicaloo     Paloma
Chilla          Patches           Chiqua      Peaches
Conchita     Pebbles          Coqueta        Pinky
Deedee      Precious           Deva            Rosa
Dodi             Rosita             Dolly
SparkleEscada         Siri                Esperanza
   Sissy
Eve             Spectra           Fantasma   Superlili
Fiesta      Sweetindeed      Fiorella         Tazz
Gracie         Tina               Gypsy            Toby
Honey          Viva               India               Zara

1. Dogs spend all day sprawled on the most comfortable piece of furniture
in the house.
2. They can hear a package of food opening half a block away, but don't
hear you when you're in the same room.
3. They can look dumb and lovable all at the same time.
4. They growl when they are not happy.
5. When you want to play, they want to play.
6. When you want to be alone, they want to play.
7. They leave their toys everywhere.
8. They do disgusting things with their mouths and then try to give you a
kiss.
9. They go right for your crotch as soon as they meet you.

CONCLUSION: They're tiny men in little fur coats.

Some Graphics provided by www.myflintriverdog.com

Important Read for All Prospective Puppy Purchasers: "Puppy
Responsibilities"

A man in Grand Rapids, Michigan incredibly took out a US $7,000 full page
ad in the paper to present the "HOW COULD YOU?" By Jim Willis, 2001. A
man Copyright Jim Willis 2001, all rights reserved

When I was a puppy I entertained you with my antics and made you
laugh. You called me your child and despite a number of chewed shoes
and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend.
Whenever I was "bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could
you?"

- but then you'd relent and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housetraining took a little longer than expected, because you were
terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights
of nuzzling you in bed, listening to your confidences and secret dreams,
and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long
walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the
cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps
in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and
more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently,
comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided
you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and
when you fell in love.

She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" - still I welcomed her into our
home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because
you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your
excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I
wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt
them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog
crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and
pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes,
investigated my ears and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything
about them and their touch - because your touch was now so infrequent -
and I would have defended them with my life if need be.

I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret
dreams. Together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.
There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you
produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me.
These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I
had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every
expenditure on my behalf.

Now you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they
will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the
right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your
only family.

I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It
smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the
paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They
shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing
a middle-aged dog or cat, even one with "papers." You had to pry your
son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please
don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you
had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and
responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a goodbye pat
on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and
leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.

After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your
upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another
good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules
allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first,
whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you
- that you had changed your mind - that this was all a bad dream...or I
hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save
me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention
of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner
and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day and I
padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet
room. She placed me on the table, rubbed my ears and told me not to
worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there
was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is
my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears
weighs heavily on her and I know that, the same way I knew your every
mood.

She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her
cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many
years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt
the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down
sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said "I'm so sorry."
She hugged me and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I
went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or
abandoned, or have to fend for myself - a place of love and light so very
different from this earthly place. With my last bit of energy, I tried to
convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not
meant for her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will
think of you and wait for you forever.

May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to
mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of
formerly owned pets who die each year in American and Canadian animal
shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a non commercial
purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice.

Please use it to help educate, on your websites, in newspapers, on animal
shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to
add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve
our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your
animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal
welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious.
Please do your part to STOP the killing, and encourage all spay and neuter
campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.

Jim Willis the story.

The End