It's a boy! A really BIG one :)

After my beautiful Freddie Mercury, a black Great Dane, died on October 16, 2008, I was so heartbroken and missed him so badly I was inconsolable. Within months of his death I was [finally] diagnosed with the brain tumor that had turned my life upside down for 5+ years, making it impossible to work and, ultimately, impossible to stand up [without falling over], drive, or do most anything else.

In April 2009 I had middle fossa craniotomy brain surgery to remove the tumor. I knew the surgery was a big deal going in, but even so I didn't expect its recovery to be so long and so difficult. But it has been.

Between the two things, i.e., losing Freddie [and missing him so much] and having profoundly debilitating brain surgery [and its very long, difficult recovery], I couldn't even THINK about adopting another dog...until now. I've finally accepted that my physical issues are not going to improve much more, if at all. The exhaustion I feel every single day--which makes a nap a necessity--is, I think, permanent. As are the vision problems, some residual facial paralysis, etc.

So I got to thinking about adopting a new dog, a Great Dane (they're my favorite and I just really, strongly prefer them), and how that would play out all things considered. I applied at Gentle Giants Rescue more than a year ago, knowing full well that at that time I wasn't even CLOSE to being physically well enough to have a new dog. But I figured I'd get the application process out of the way, and then adopt when I was ready. I was approved, but then the clock kept ticking and months went by, and I still wasn't physically--or emotionally--ready to bring a new dog into my life. In July of this year I felt ready, so I contacted Burt [Ward, yes THAT Burt Ward--he and his amazing wife Tracy run Gentle Giants Rescue] to let him know I was ready. I hadn't realized that the application approval was only good for 6 months...so I did it again! It's a DAUNTING process--it took me at least three hours to fill out the application--but there isn't one thing I'd change about it. They're absolutely committed to doing the right thing for the dogs they rescue and adopt out, and I LOVE that they're so detail-oriented and want to know the same kinds of things I'd want to know about prospective adoptive parents.

Long story short, I was approved again and was all ready to go...then my little girl, Joy Noelle (she's a cat, but thinks she's a Great Dane...oh, she's a rescue, too), became deathly ill. It took a long time, many visits to our vet, lots of medication and special food and forced feeding to get her well, and in the meantime I didn't want to stress her by bringing in a new family member. So I waited!

Finally, it was time. I was ready, Joy was healthy, it was time.

I had my heart set on a puppy. In my LONG experience, puppies are just so special. They're cute and sweet and, oh!, that puppy breath. I had mixed feelings about bringing an adult Dane home...it's hard to explain, but I felt like he'd be invading Freddie's territory somehow. Besides, when you get a puppy they bond with you and...I don't know. I just thought I wanted a puppy. But GGR didn't have any right now. I decided to go take a look anyway, knowing there were only adult Danes available at the moment.

My mom came with me and we headed out there on Saturday, December 11. Burt and Tracy were warm and gracious and made us feel right at home. The first dog I saw was an almost 3 year old Harlequin male, and I liked him a lot. The second was a 1 year old black female who looked eerily like my favorite female Dane of all time, Star (I'd even brought a picture with me, which coincidentally showed Star when she was about the same age, and they could've been twins...except Star died in 1986). I didn't want a black (couldn't even consider it because of Freddie) and I didn't want a female, so I dismissed this sweet girl. Then it happened.

The INSTANT Tracy brought the next dog out, I KNEW. I mean really, just like that. He's just over a year old and is a Mantle (one of the unofficial Great Dane colors--black and white, but not like a Harlequin; Mantles have big areas of black and white and may, as this one does, have some spotting as well). In just minutes I asked Tracy if she'd think it was weird if I said I already knew this was the one, and she said no, not at all. I told her, "I'm done! I don't need to see any more!"

This boy is as sweet as can be, and when you look in his eyes you see an old soul. (Freddie was like that, too.) He's thin right now because he's been stressed (family issues that led to him being given up), but *TALL* and sweet and beautiful. Once he gains back his weight and finishes growing, he's going to be spectacular.

(As I'm typing this--with my laptop in my lap on my bed--he's pushing my arms constantly as he stretches while dozing...on my bed, of course.)

I know I keep referring to him as "he" and there's a reason for that--I don't have a name yet. He's already had two names, Lieutenant and Zen, neither of which does anything for me, but once we've spent a little time together something will jump up and hit me as the right name. UPDATE: 12/14/10 -- We have a name! From the same woman who came up with Freddie Mercury and Queen for her last two Great Danes, I'd like to introduce...Justin Hayward (yes, as in the Moody Blues). Perfect!

Because it was late Saturday before Tracy could take him in for his pre-release vet check, we decided that we'd wait until the next day to come pick him up. And yesterday that's exactly what we did. He was great on the ride home--about 50 miles, settling down on the blanket I'd put in the back of my RAV4, and snuggling up with the toy I'd bought him just before heading out there.

When we got home I took him straight into the backyard, on lead, and let him sniff and explore as much as he wanted. Then we headed inside--where my cats were waiting, oblivious to the fact they'd just acquired a "little" brother! They had varied reactions ranging from puffing out their tails like bottle brushes, to hissing, to hiding up on the highest bookcases and giving the dog death glares (Joy Noelle!), to downright indifference. One of the cats swatted at his face when he got too close, and he jumped back and yelped. (He was not hurt.) They'll work it out. I've been doing this for MANY, many years and my pets always get along. It's a house rule!

Here are some pics. First, Freddie with his favorite toy, Teddy Bear:



Freddie contemplating life near the end of his...I took this picture just a few weeks before he died:



This is how I like to picture my Fredster now. This picture was taken up in the mountains above Azusa, but I like to think of him standing like that, gazing out from his vantage point now at Rainbow Bridge:



And now, drumroll please!, my new boy. These were taken moments after arriving home with him yesterday. To me, it looks like he's wondering "...is this one it? is this my home now? or is she going to give me back?":





These are from last night, after he'd come inside and had a chance to figure it all out:



His favorite of two new toys I bought yesterday; we've named the toy Rocky J Squirrel:





"Uh-oh! What's that?! Oh, it's a CAT!!" (This was RIGHT before he ran over to the cat--who promptly swatted his face.):




Freddie's food/water stand a couple days after he died. It took a while before I could bring myself to empty the few morsels of food Freddie left in the bowl that last night before he died.




Same place, different stand and bowls; my new boy's first dinner at home:






"Good morning, Mommy! Wow, I slept really well. OUR bed is super comfy!"








So there you have it. For now! I couldn't be more thrilled with the gorgeous, sweet, loving boy I've been blessed with--and if you're thinking about getting a pet, PLEASE adopt. There are millions...really, millions...of cats, dogs, birds, ferrets and many other domesticated animals waiting for good homes. It's so worth it--for BOTH parties.

And last but not least: HAVE YOUR PETS SPAYED OR NEUTERED

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KFC -- Kentucky Fried Cruelty

If you're not vegan or vegetarian, like I am, you're probably not aware of the horrific cruelty inflicted on chickens killed for KFC, otherwise known as Kentucky Fried Cruelty. Although my preference would be for everyone to stop participating in animal cruelty--which is what you're doing if you eat meat--at the very least, please boycott KFC.

Pamela Anderson has recorded an informative video, and I highly recommend that you view it. Then pledge to boycott KFC.



Please join Pamela Anderson, Sir Paul McCartney, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, The Rev. Al Sharpton, and countless other kind people worldwide by not eating at KFC.

Watch more videos at KentuckyFriedCruelty.com.

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Our anti-dogfighting, anti-Michael Vick products are selling like crazy

CLICK HERE FOR ANTI-MICHAEL VICK MERCHANDISE

Please visit our shops for an assortment of anti-Vick merchandise including t-shirts, bumper stickers, hats and a lot more:

CafePress | Printfection | Zazzle

UPDATE 11/18/10: The following post is very old. Please see this much more recent one, which includes an article that appeared in the LA Times having to do with Mel, one of the abused dogs rescued from Michael Vick's dogfighting operation, and how he still suffers years later from his abuse.



< ... begin original post ... >

Ever since the extremely disappointing decision by the Philadelphia Eagles to sign convicted dog torturer and killer Michael Vick, our shops have been hit by query after query for anti-Michael Vick/anti-dogfighting merchandise. We're thrilled to see the public responding so swiftly and decisively to show their anger and dismay at Vick's return to the NFL.

BY FAR, the design that's selling the most is this one:



Looks like people are buying anti-Vick merchandise to wear/carry when showing up to protest NFL games he plays in. Good!

Now that we're branching out to other print-on-demand sites, rather than putting 100% into CafePress, we have a lot more products available, but they're kind of spread out! If you're looking for anti-Michael Vick/anti-dogfighting merchandise, please take a moment to look at our animal-related sections on:

CafePress | Printfection | Zazzle
As for Michael Vick and the character repair tour he's on...I don't know. I would LOVE to find out that all the remorse he's displaying, all the shame and disgust he says he now feels about what he did to those defenseless animals, are real. But I personally find it hard to imagine how a person who two years ago--and for many years prior--was actively involved in unspeakable cruelty to dogs, including killing them by extremely inhumane methods, can suddenly have such a remarkable GENUINE turnabout. I guess only time will tell what his real motives are.


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Why I'm vegetarian

(I wrote this intel for Qondio.com and decided to post it here, too.)


Back in 1988 when I declared to my family that I could no longer eat meat, wear leather, or use products containing animal ingredients, I was passionate about my reasons but had a lot to learn about my new lifestyle. I must admit that I was quite unprepared for the challenges I'd face--especially since we were living in Texas at the time.

My reasons for becoming a vegetarian were simple: I became educated! I learned the truth about the atrocities inflicted on innocent, sentient beings on factory farms, in slaughterhouses, on fur farms, in labs, and so on. After that, my conscience simply wouldn't allow me to continue participating, even passively, in that cruelty.

Prior to this time I was your average American, eating meat every day--without ever considering how it ended up neatly packaged in the supermarket, wearing leather shoes and belts and purses, using shampoo and other products--never glancing at their ingredients, etc. I had always called myself an animal lover. And, indeed, I was. Or at least I THOUGHT I was. After all, I had always rescued/adopted pets, I gave those pets a loving, safe home for life, and I treated my pets like they were children.

Then one day it hit me: I was a hypocrite. And I could no longer deny it. All my life I had CLAIMED to love animals, yet I saw nothing wrong with consuming some of them in various ways. The more I thought about how hypocritical I'd been, the more it bothered me. Like most people who claim to love animals, my love extended only to the "pet" variety and other "cute" animals (horses, lions, etc.). But cows? Pigs? CHICKENS? Please!

Well, as it turns out, cows, pigs, chickens, turkeys, lambs, and all other "meat" animals have exactly the same capabilities as dogs and cats to experience pain, fear, love, loyalty, and grief. Some animals mate for life. Others mourn the dead. Some animals raise the offspring of a fallen member of their group. How can anyone deny that these non-human animals deserve a cruelty-free life? I no longer could.

As I write this I've been a happy "ethical vegetarian" for 21 years. I've NEVER, not even once, wavered or thought about eating dead animals again. But in the beginning I definitely faced some challenges!

I'm a California native. You know, the land of fruits and nuts. :) Living in the south was a difficult, unpleasant experience even BEFORE I turned veggie, but afterwards? Oh dear. Our first outings to restaurants were eye-opening...in a very bad way. We'd order something like green beans or cheese enchiladas, thinking they would be "safe" (containing no animal ingredients) to eat. Then the food would arrive and we'd be shocked to see chunks of ham in the green beans or meat sauce on the enchiladas. When we'd ask for vegetarian food we were often looked at as if we were visiting from another planet. We had to EXPLAIN to restaurants--many times--such things as: "vegetable soup" made with beef or chicken broth was NOT vegetarian; green beans with the pork removed did NOT qualify as safe to eat; fish is not a vegetable. It was trying, to say the least.

I'm back home in California now, thank goodness. Of course I'm an old hand NOW at living a vegetarian lifestyle, but it's still nice being surrounded by many other vegetarians, lots of vegetarian entrees at every restaurant, veggie fast food places, etc.

My only regret? That I ever ate animals in the first place. I can rationalize that to a degree because as a child I had no choice. Even if I had known about the torture "meat" animals are subjected to, there's nothing I could have done about it. (Believe me, I would not have been allowed to go veggie back then.) And as an adult, well, I was conditioned to thinking it was NORMAL to eat animals. I can't turn the clock back. There's no way I can make up for those years as a meat eater. I'm just glad I came to my senses...


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Yet another reason Clinton is better than Obama: Humane Society ratings

As if all the good things Hillary Clinton has done--and all the really bad things/people/places/associations Obama has--weren't enough, here's yet another reason Clinton is so vastly superior to that smug idiot. According to the Humane Society's scorecard on animal protection, Clinton scores a perfect 100%, while Obama rates a paltry 60%. Am *I* surprised? No.

Looking for anti-Obama merchandise? Shop our anti-Obama and/or pro-Hillary merchandise
Anyone who supports the fur industry with its appalling treatment of animals, as the Obamas do, must be scumbags anyway, so I really wouldn't expect much from him/them when it comes to animal-related concerns.

Here are the Humane Society's explanations for their ratings:

Hillary Clinton Scored 100% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection

The Humane Society 109th Congress Scorecard on animal protection scored Clinton 100+ out of 100, based on:

• Clinton co-sponsored the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S.1915): To bar slaughtering horses for human consumption. Bill had 34 co-sponsors.
  
  
• Clinton voted for the Horse Slaughter Amendment (9/20/2005): to stop export of horses for slaughter.
  
  
• Clinton co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act (S.382): To criminalize dogfighting & cockfighting. The bill had 51 cosponsors & passed unanimously on 4/28/2005.
  
  
• Clinton co-sponsored the Downed Animal Protection Act (S.1779): to ban "downed" (unable to walk to slaughter) cattle, pigs & sheep in human food. Bill had 26 cosponsors.
  
  
• Clinton signed the Funding Letter to the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee: seeking funds for the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, & federal animal fighting law. The letter was cosigned by 44 senators & sent on 5/25/2006.
  
  
• Clinton took leadership on animal protection.
  

Source: Humane Society 109th Congress Scorecard, www.fund.org Jan 31, 2007


Barack Hussein Obama Scored 60% on Humane Society Scorecard on animal protection

The Humane Society 109th Congress Scorecard on animal protection issues scored Obama 60 out of 100, based on:

• Obama did not co-sponsor the Horse Slaughter Prevention Act (S.1915): To bar slaughtering horses for human consumption. Bill had 34 co-sponsors.
  
  
• Obama voted for the Horse Slaughter Amendment (9/20/2005): to stop export of horses for slaughter.
  
  
• Obama co-sponsored the Animal Fighting Prohibition Act (S.382): To criminalize dogfighting & cockfighting. The bill had 51 cosponsors & passed unanimously on 4/28/2005.
  
  
• Obama did not co-sponsor the Downed Animal Protection Act (S.1779): to ban "downed" (unable to walk to slaughter) cattle, pigs & sheep in human food. Bill had 26 cosponsors.
  
  
• Obama signed the Funding Letter to the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee: seeking funds for the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, & federal animal fighting law. The letter was cosigned by 44 senators & sent on 5/25/2006.
  

Source: Humane Society 109th Congress Scorecard, www.fund.org Jan 31, 2007

In addition to the above, Senator Clinton has also supported many other animal-oriented issues, including:

• Sponsoring legislation to crack down on puppy mills.
  
  
• Requesting more funds for the USDA to step up enforcement of the Animal Welfare Act, Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, and federal animal fighting law.
  
  
• Taking a leadership role in efforts to stop the overuse of antibiotics in farm animals.
  
  
• Supporting the Farm Animal Stewardship Purchasing Act.
  

and much more.

So if you're concerned about animals, know your candidates! You can give your vote to the heartless scumbag fur-supporting Obama who rates a miserable 60% or to the animal-friendly Clinton who rates 100%. Easy choice, in my opinion.

A true story about ordering a veggie burger at Burger King :(

This story--unbelievable as it may seem--is, I assure you, absolutely true. It happened today, June 27, 2006 in a North Dallas suburb.

After a long day of packing--getting ready to move back home to Southern California--I was exhausted and hungry. So I decided to do something I almost never do: Go to a fast-food restaurant. There's a Burger King near my house so I headed over there, innocently thinking that I could order a veggie burger and onion rings and be on my way to getting back to work on the house. WRONG. Here's what happened...

I pulled into the drive-in lane and studied the menu; although I didn't have my glasses with me, I could make out the "BK Veggie Burger" followed by something like "Presented by Morningstar Farms." (For the non-vegetarians out there, Morningstar Farms is a well-known producer of wonderful vegetarian foods, including burgers, hot dogs, etc.) Great!, I thought. I love Morningstar Farms products...this'll be perfect. When asked what I wanted, I replied by asking a simple question: What comes on the veggie burger? The person said the veggie burger just has vegetables on it...so I asked, um, you mean it comes with lettuce and tomato? She said yes. Okay...I said I'd like to add cheese to that, and a medium order of onion rings. They told me the total and I pulled up to the window.

I paid for my order, waited a minute or two, received my order and left. I got home, sat down to eat, unwrapped the "burger" and found...nothing on the bun except--you guessed it!--lettuce, tomato, and cheese. Really. I sat there dumbfounded looking at it thinking, "How on earth could they forget to put in the veggie burger on a veggie burger sandwich?!"

So I picked up the phone and dialed the number on the receipt...and guess what that led to? A fax machine. So I gathered the "burger" and receipt and drove back over to BK.

Back at the drive-in window I told the woman that I had ordered the veggie burger but there was no veggie burger in it. She said "There's no meat in the veggie burger--it's just lettuce and tomato." I stared at her in abject disbelief. Another employee had come up to the window by then and he reiterated what she had said. I must've looked like I thought they were from another planet as I said, "The veggie burger that's ON YOUR MENU is a vegetarian patty instead of meat." They now said, "Okay..." and went to tell the cook to make it for me. The woman hands it to me and I asked, "So this is a VEGGIE BURGER, right? It's not MEAT, is that correct?" And she said, "Oh, there's meat on it. And the vegetables [lettuce and tomato]."

At this point I just couldn't believe the whole thing. But it actually gets worse. I handed it back to her saying that if there was MEAT on it, it wasn't a VEGGIE BURGER. She then called her manager over. I told him what I'd just gone through and he implied that he understood and would resolve it. They wanted me to pull up and park in order to clear the drive-in lane, so I did.

Employee #2 (the one who'd reiterated the first one's version of what a veggie burger is) eventually came out to my car. He handed me another order and I asked him--again--if this was a veggie burger and NOT meat. He said it DID have meat and--you guessed it!--vegetables! Now I'm just incredulous. I told him that I couldn't believe they were not familiar with their own menu, and that the veggie burger is a vegetarian product that does not contain any meat. He left to try again.

Another few minutes went by and back he came with another burger; I naturally asked if he was sure this was correct and he said it was. So I opened it at his suggestion...and, incredibly, there was another bun with nothing in it except lettuce, tomato, and cheese! Really. He said that there are TWO menu items with "veggie" in the name, one [he said] was the Veggie Whopper and the other was the Veggie Burger. (Forget about the fact that I had seen no such listings on the menu, okay?) I asked what the difference was and he said one was a burger [meat] with veggies on it [lettuce and tomato] and the other was just the veggies. I sat there shaking my head in disbelief...

I'm not sure when I've been as exasperated as I was by this point. I told him to go LOOK at the menu and that he would see an item called the "BK Veggie Burger from Morningstar Farms." I told him that a veggie burger is a NON-meat item that looks like a regular burger. He finally agreed to actually go look at the menu, and several [more] minutes later he came back with another order. Remarkably, this one was right! And it only took FIVE TRIES. FIVE FUCKING TRIES to get a veggie burger at Burger King.

As soon as I got home I went to Burger King's web site and looked for a way to contact them. I wanted to complain--while still this worked up--about the stupidity and ignorance I'd encountered tonight. But guess what? They don't accept correspondence via e-mail...