Dogs against Subaway

This will be a quick post.

I have just learned that Subway sponsored the BET Sportsman of the Year Award. The winner was Michael Vick and I am just trembling with anger. No matter how good he is at football there is no excuse for what he did to those innocent dogs.

 So, please join me in boycotting Subway. You can show your support by joining this facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/NO-WAY-Subway/173935239336924

Like animals...

I think that Tia and Dave have actually moved me to the geographical center of Death Valley and not the quaint region known as Texoma. It has been over 100 degrees everyday here for over a week and in Vernon, TX it got up to 114!!!! True, yesterday it only got up to 99 degrees here in Lawton…but what’s a few degrees when you could fry bacon on the hood of your car?! I have to keep waking Tia up at 5:30AM to make sure she gets me out for my walk by 6:30AM. Any later than that and I the cement starts burning my paws and my tongue is dragging on the ground halfway down the block. Tia keeps the lights off, blinds drawn, and fans on high in an attempt to make the house more like a cave and below 1000 degrees. Dave keeps complaining about something called an “ee-ley-trik-bill” but Tia ignores him and turns the A/C lower anyway as she slinks by the thermostat. 

In her effort to make me more comfortable for the heat Tia thought I might like a haircut. Apparently since she is licensed to cut human hair she thinks this also qualifies her to groom me. I don’t mind her giving me the occasional bath and trimming the hair out of my eyes, but this time she went too far. She got out the clippers she uses to shave Dave’s head and decided to give me a haircut too. I am now naked! She buzzed me all over except for my head! I’m going to get a sunburn or something…and Tia’s friend thinks I look like one of those hairless cats. She also missed some spots and it looks like I have armpit hair. Thankfully Dave came home and helped her finish my backside so that I at least don’t have a fuzzy butt. Hopefully it grows back soon because I am really getting self-conscious about being so bare and I don’t like being called a naked mole rat. I’ve included a picture, but only so you can feel pity for me….NO LAUGHING!

After her valiant attempt to groom me, Tia began cleaning the house like a mad woman. I heard Dave mention that his mother and cousin are coming to this weekend and staying through the Fourth of July. I’ve never met either of them, but if they are related to Dave they must be pretty cool people. I guess mother-in-laws are a big deal to humans because Tia is moving furniture around and cleaning behind the toilets! She never cleans behind the toilets. If you ask me, I think a little dirt makes it more homey but then again I like to roll in dead things. I think our guests are getting here tonight so I’ll let you know how things go next time.

                I need to tell you very quickly about a movie that I watched the other morning with Tia. I really had to go outside at about 5am so Tia obliged but then laid on the couch in a groggy haze. She turned on a movie called “Dr.Dolittle”. It was an old movie with songs and lots of costumes and colors. I loved it! That Dr. Dolittle loved animals and treated them with respect and dignity! My favorite part was when he sang a song all about how poorly humans treat animals.

“WHY DO WE TREAT ANIMALS LIKE ANIMALS ?

HOW CAN PEOPLE BE SO INHUMANE ?

COWS AND CHICKENS WORK TO FEED US.

DOGS AND HORSES SHOW THEY NEED US.

AND THOUGH CATS DON'T ALWAYS HEED US,

THEIR AFFECTION IS PLAIN.

WHAT DO WE DO? WE NEGLECT THEM!

WE DO NOTHING TO PROTECT THEM!

WE REJECT THEM - DON'T EXPECT THEM

TO COMPLAIN!

WE IGNORE THEM OR WE BEAT THEM!

WHEN WE'RE HUNGRY, THEN WE EAT THEM!

IT'S APPALLING HOW WE TREAT THEM!

IT'S INSANE!

LIKE......ANIMALS! “

I’m not one to get too excited over a musical, but I think that everyone who loves animals should see this film. He has a great point to make, why do we treat animals…like animals? Any thoughts? Anyway, you should watch it and let me know how you like it!

Toby

The Good, The Bad....and Lawton

     For every good, a little bad must happen and there is no exception here in Lawton. First, I’ll tell you all the good and then the bad. Since we’re moving to Germany this fall Tia and Dave have been thinking about buying a new, smaller, fuel efficient car or as Dave calls it: a silly little European car. Tia was driving a ’05 Ford Escape and was really feeling the hit at the gas pump. I did a little math after searching gas prices in Germany and if Tia kept that Escape, she would have been paying $150 to fill it up over there! That’s like ten bags of dog food! So, Tia began cleaning and fixing up her good ole Escape and started researching a car she might want. After a few days, she finally decided on the 2011 Ford Fiesta SES model in red! I love riding in it and the windows roll down just right. So, that was the good part.

        The bad part was mostly my fault. I can’t help that my allergies have been really bad over the past two weeks…but I have also been peeing in the house…a lot. Tia was perplexed and I was ashamed. This afternoon I peed again while Tia was out getting her mom’s birthday present. We both knew something was wrong, so Tia called the vet and they were able to get us in.  As she was about to load me into the fresh new backseat of her one day old car, I puked. Luckily I aimed towards the garage floor and missed ruining that new car smell.  Once we got to the vet, they ran some horribly invasive tests on me! Have you ever had a thermometer shoved up your back side?!  Then they put a needle in my bladder. A FREAKIN’ NEEDLE! But, I digress….the doc decided that I might have had a mild sinus infection and gave me a huge shot. It doesn’t end there though…no no no. Tia noticed this weird looking dirt stuff on my head as he gave me the shot. Turns out that even though she gives me Frontline, I had FLEA POO on me! The vet advised us to have the whole house sprayed by an exterminator and to scrub me down good. Needless to say this little adventure cost Tia and Dave quite a bit. Tia was pretty nice about it all, even as she had to strip all the beds and wash everything on super-hot water…including scrubbing the flea poo off my head.

     On a lighter note…Tia bought a huge plastic owl this morning. If you remember my post from last week, then you know about our bird problem. She does not want to resort to rigging me up on a pulley system and swinging me into the trees to eradicate these loud pests, so she is trying the owl. She slammed it on a stake and tied it to the porch and even though the bunny wasn’t fooled, I can’t hear a single chirp. I think she just did a little victory dance. That, or she’s practicing Zumba moves for tomorrow.

     Now for more good news! I want to tell you about my friends as Little Heart Animal Abuse Awareness for Kids. They work with children by showing them how to treat animals with love and respect! I think it’s really important to teach children early on in life how to take care of animals. Anyway, they have a great facebook page and they would love for you to like them :) http://www.facebook.com/littleheartkids?ref=ts

    Don't forget that children see and hear everything around them. Be a good example for your children by being kind to animals and being a responsible pet owner! Pets aren't property, we're part of the family and a big responsibility! 

Toby

Monsters in my Yard!

My house was attacked by a horrible creature today while Tia was out doing Zumba. However, if this monster was out to make a surprise attack…he failed. I heard him coming in his diesel fueled chariot of doom and then he rang the doorbell. I was on full alert and barked viciously at him while he stalked all around the outside of the house. Then I saw him through the back door! He was like no man I had seen before. He was spraying the house with a giant appendage that came out of his arm. It was horrible! Later, Tia explained that he was just pressure washing the house so he could paint it tomorrow. A likely story! I will be on guard for this monster man to show his true colors tomorrow.

In addition to this evil presence there are new critters that have chosen to make MY yard their home. Allow me to preface this by explaining that as the sun goes down in Lawton, MY yard is filled with a cacophony of horrible screeching birds. Dave and Tia actually have to turn up the volume on the TV to drown out their unyielding squawks. It’s actually kind of fun when Tia gets really fed up with them and storms out to the backyard and starts cursing at the trees. Then she asks Dave if he could being home an AK-47 and shoot them all out the trees. Don’t worry, she’s not serious…I don’t think. Anyway the new addition to this animal sanctuary is a fluffy bunny that Tia has been calling Jack. She won’t even let me chase him! UH! Doesn’t she know he’s invading MY space!? He’s touching my grass and hopping around in my flower beds! At least she lets me chase the squirrels because they eat her flowers. Cheeky buggers. So, with this heat being absolutely oppressive, I am stuck inside watching Jack hop across MY yard and this painter man violate my house.

If you’re wondering just what June in Oklahoma feels like, I have just the way for you to experience the joys of this incredible weather. First, you will need to obtain 10 hairdryers, a bag of sandy red dirt, and a large open field full of crunchy dry grass and not a single tree in sight. If you can’t find such a field, your own backyard will do but you must try this in the heat of the day in direct sunlight. Now, plug in all the hairdryers and set them to super high. Point them directly at your face. Once you’re boiling and sweaty, throw the dirt into the air in front of your face. Now that you are grimy, sunburnt, parched, and wind blown…you have experienced an Oklahoma summer. If you want to experience a Field Artillery BOLC student’s Oklahoma summer then follow all the steps above but make sure you’re wearing ACU’s, combat boots, a Kevlar vest, a helmet, and have one of your manliest friends scream “IF YOU DON’T HAVE RANGE, YOU DON’T HAVE S***!”.

What I find really odd is that it isn’t even officially summer yet! So what is going to happen when July rolls around? Will my poo just burst into flames and my pee evaporate before it hits the hydrant? Hopefully Lawton will not become the searing face of the sun and things will cool off a little…I doubt it. Anyway, I wanted to recommend an amazing water bottle that Tia uses when walking me. It locks closed and I can drink out of the lid!  It's called the Intak Hydration Water Bottle and its PBA free and dishwasher safe! It comes in three colors and you can follow the link to the left to pick some up. So remember to keep your soldier and pets well hydrated as this heat blasts across the land.

Toby

Too hot to stress!

                It has been a frightening week for me so far. I’m talking threat level midnight here people! It started out with Tia going to the dentist and being prescribed steroids and antibiotics. The latter is of no concern to my current state of distress but the steroids….oh the steroids. At first things seemed normal but on day three of those evil little white pills, Tia became the epitome of the phrase “roid-rage” with the charming addition of her white hot distain for the oppressive heat. It has been over 100 degrees here in The-Center-of-the-Sun, Oklahoma for days on end and even the nights are in the 90’s. This week the air conditioning fights an unending battle to keep the house below boiling point and Tia fights off her desire to eat all the chocolate pudding in the house. In fact as I type this, I can hear Tia having a crying fit over the last crumbs of a box of Cheeze-itz while watching Season 2 of Glee. She has managed to keep the “raging” to a minimum despite being kept up for hours by the throbbing of her steroid filled veins in her ears. Thank God for those Zumba classes she goes to, or I’d never get a quiet moment to myself.

                My story isn’t over yet though. In a wonderfully loving and grand gesture, Dave and Tia took me to this amazing park on the east side of town. It is a wonderland full of giant holes that are inhabited by squeaking critters called “prayer-ee” dogs. I find this name confusing because although they live in holes they are not holy and neither are they dogs. Anyway, it was very funny chasing them around and being pulled out of their burrows by my halter leash. However, along our walk I happened to be inhaling a little too much of the outdoors and managed to snort a giant amount of pollen and possibly a portion of a weed. This caused me to immediately slip into a sneezing fit that lasted over 5 minutes. Thanks to Tia and Dave I was able to compose myself long enough to make it to the car. However, when we got home I only got worse. I couldn’t stop sneezing and my nose hurt so bad! Tia was in total mommy mode and set me up with a humidifier, Benadryl, and special doggie allergy vitamins. I didn’t even know they made those! I guess I finally sneezed out the nasal irritant because that afternoon I seemed cured. It was a little scary there for a few hours since apparently here in Oklahoma there are weeds called foxtails that have barbed bits that can get lodged in my nose and then in my lungs! That can be fatal and when Tia discovered this little factoid on google, a steroid induced freak out session occurred. Since this was a Sunday, luckily, she was calm enough to see that I was getting better and avoided the $300 trip to the emergency vet.

                Can you see how this has been a stressful week for me and Dave? Not to mention the horrible heat…it’s past 10pm and its still 87 degrees outside! I am beginning to like the idea of Germany more and more as I see from weather.com that its only 67 degrees there right now. I hear growling coming from the living room… either Tia realized that Swamp People is a re-run or we’re out of the orange Flavor-Pops! Perhaps I can hide under Dave’s helmet in the guest room since I think he’s taken to wearing his Kevlar vest to bed since the steroids started. Tia has frighteningly ninja like skills when it comes to kicking off the covers in her sweaty fits of rage. I heard her say that the pools have finally opened on the base so she will be basking away her frustration in the sun and washing away her worries in the deep end tomorrow. I will continue to keep guard over the house in my new favorite spot on the couch where the AC blows just right. Anyway, be safe out in all this heat and don’t forget to thank a soldier and love your pets. 

Toby

Caged Love

           Tia cheated on me this morning. Yes. She walked, played with, and scratched the bellies of other dogs. I was so hurt…until she explained. Tia and her friend went to the Ft. Sill Animal Shelter and volunteered their time to help out those pets that need homes! She even got to hold little puppies and they chewed on her shoe laces. I will have to have Tia explain to those little rascals that those are my shoes to chew on as I wish. She said there were cats there too and she held them and cleaned their cages. Then she walked a couple of dogs that are waiting for the perfect people to come adopt them. I was a lot less upset about all the other animal smells on her once she explained the whole situation. I remember how it was before Tia and Dave rescued me…I was alone and scared and I had no idea when my next meal would come! I hope that all those cats and dogs are adopted by amazing people like my owners :) I happen to know for a fact that rescued pets are the best pets ever because we are so appreciative of our new owners.

                Tia said it was really sad to see so many pets that had been surrendered by their previous owners to the shelter. It makes me want to trot up to those owners and pee on their shoes….or something. I think that once you take a pet into your home then you have made a promise to that pet that you will care for them and provide food, shelter, water, veterinary care, and love for the rest of that pets life! Yes, there are some circumstances that would require an owner to find a new home for their pet…but they are few and far between. I have heard that some people get kittens or puppies and then don’t realize that these animals will get bigger and have long term needs like walking, playing, and vet visits. So, those people just dump off this pet to the nearest shelter. Grrr…getting a pet is a wonderful thing but you have to make sure that you are ready for this long term commitment! This is a living, breathing, loving creature that you are agreeing to care for, not a mere possession that can be forgotten or abandoned.

                Sigh…at least there are the amazing people at shelters like the Ft. Sill Shelter that have devoted their time to caring for these needy animals and finding them new BETTER homes. If you agree with me, which you should, then you can help out abandoned or lost pets in your area too! First, you can call your local shelter and ask about their volunteer program. Sometimes they will require some paperwork and ask you to attend a short training class and other times they will get you started right away. Shelter animals need lots of attention and love. Since most of their time is spent in cages, it’s a real treat when volunteers come to walk the dogs and hold the cats. As you know animals do a lot of eating which then means a lot of pooping…so they need help cleaning too :) So next time you come home to an empty house or apartment and feel the need for a furry companion, consider adopting a dog or cat! Buying from a breeder or (shudder) pet store is ridiculous when there are so many pets who are ready to worship and adore you at your local shelter. 

Here is the info for the Ft. Sill Animal Shelter

Fort Sill Stray Pet Facility

832 Macomb Rd., 580-442-3340

Mon-Fri, 8am-11am; 1pm-3:30pm

Closed the last working day of each month.