Thank you.

I'd like to say more, but my eyes keep leaking.

I got in the habit of sleeping in the living room on a bed I converted to a sofa

Because when the chows were here, they were already so old they couldn't climb the steep stairs. Well, they couldn't climb on the bed either, but they seemed perfectly happy curled up on the floor right next to me. A single bed never would've held all of us anyway, and I'm a terribly light sleeper. I couldn't have slept upstairs anyway because it took the chows months to stop wailing at the top of their lungs everytime I went up there long enough for a bath. Nothing on earth would shut them up until I rejoined them downstairs where I 'belonged'.

Now that it's just Molly Maguire (a mini beagle/pom cross) and Brigid the JRT, I'm still sleeping downstairs. Just about time Molly got old enough to last all night w/o a potty break, that's when we added 3-month-old Brigid, so now I'm waiting for her to hit 1 year in about 5 more months. Then we might try upstairs together at last. But they'll still be together in a second big spindle baby bed next to me because that's what they have downstairs as well. It's big enough for both small dogs and they seem to love being in there, where they always get their finest bedtime snacks.

A doggy door would be helpful, but I use storm doors and am not about to cut into Victorian oak doors from Canada that took me untold hours to paint just so in 3 different colors. Not to mention the cost of the doors themselves. My house is slate blue (including new metal roof) with white trim, and I did the doors in buttercup yellow, light green, and white. Sorry if that sounds selfish, but at least I'm willing to play doorman for them as often as they require.

During decent weather both dogs prefer to be outside, and their favorite place in hot weather is under the front porch in their little dust bowl beds. Before Brigid arrived, MM was already mature enough to roam through the house unrestricted, and she will be again this winter.

However, for her first full winter with us, Brigid will remain on probation; meaning she can roam at will during frequent playtime every day, but otherwise she'll have to remain tethered in the living room or somewhere I can keep an eye on her while I work. The need for this was brought home to me quite forcefully when I caught her trying to chew on an electric cord. Hopefully by the second full winter she'll be far enough past puppy stage not to do such dangerous things. Except for the biggest $20 rubber chicken toys, the dogs basically prefer to chew on actual wooden branches. Or, I suppose for Brigid, any antique sofa or chest leg would suffice for now.

The biggest problem I expect to face with Brigid in the worst of winter will be keeping her warm enough for frequent 15-minute outdoor breaks, because nudie Molly Maguire, who detests artifical anything, loves nothing better than to shred her sister's clothing in short order if I'm not there to stop her. She immediately made short work of Brigid's first fine leather collar, and Brigid returned the favor, divesting Molly of hers. That's why they're microchipped now. Molly doesn't need a coat for short winter outings because she grows a little fluff of her own. But Brigid's smooth coat and does need extra protection. My only hope short of accompanying them each trip is to first soak Brigid's new winter coat in a solution of alum and see if that keeps Molly's shredding at bay. Brigid won't like the smell, but I can't make her a new winter outfit 5 or 6 times a day either.

Guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

For now, the baby bed's fine. I put down a heavy wood flooring painted enough to resist any moisture and then the separate halves of a big hardshell suitcase to make two beds if needed. But they always drag the blankets (no matter how many) over to one and curl up together there.

Maybe when both are fully mature and we move upstairs to sleep, I'll try to let them in the bed with me but it probably won't work. When their babybed is less than a foot away, they'll be happy enough.

PetFlow is also associated with PetFoodStamps.org

A fabulous non-profit which has seen growing pains, as you might know, and is under attack by a predatory outfit called FoodStampsforPets, which established that domain name later and has since been trying to strongarm the legitimate charity into paying it to go away. You can see the whole deal on the FB page for PetFoodStamps.org.

Anyway, PFS got deluged by somewhere close to half a million applicants so far. All a person needs to qualify is to be on some kind of government assistance, i.e. low income. PFS expects to begin regular shipments of pet food through PetFlow around Labor Day, those in dire need (expecting to have to give up their pets in 30 days) of course being served first. But it should be in full swing by September. I've seen incredibly unrealistic requests on their page such as help me feed my 30 feral cats and such, but from what I've read many people seem to be responsible and reasonable pet owners who just fell on hard times.

They're also starting a PetSocialNetwork.org in September as an interface between pet owners and those who wish to make donations. This is intended to also generate operating funds by selling pet related ads and will serve as a national clearinghouse for adoption services. So it's looking really good. They've moved into larger offices in NYC which will be a much better location for them.

A person may or may not agree with the openly expressed personal politics of the group's founder Marc Okon, but when it comes to keeping pet families together and well fed, I say politics be damned. Something you won't hear from me very often!

Not trying to hijack this thread. I seldom start one on my own. But the mention of PetFlow, I thought, hopefully excused a slight segue. If someone thinks I should make this reply a whole new thread, I will - but I originally planned to wait until the PFS program was fully operational. Some people are unaware of the startup problems such a huge enterprise can experience, and some people are so desperate right now that I don't want to stir up hopes prematurely.

Yeah, I BET the cops felt threatened.

You can always believe their version.

(can't you???)

Lauren's not even defending herself

How could that guy claim he thought he needed to protect anyone? She needed protection from him!

Put her in a cell with Ariel Castro

I feel the same way

when people obviously smarter than I cannot learn to spell correctly, even in a language perhaps not their own original.

'imply' x 'implie'

Or is it just my dyslexia working overtime today?

No,

We'd still have a fully Democratic Congress if the lazy, whiney voters got off their ass in numbers large enough to elect a (D) Congress! What's next, blame the weather on the President?

Well, when you're a kid you consider yourself indestructable.

We knew it was dangerous; that's what made it fun. But it never occurred to us that a tragedy could happen. Our timing could've been off one day, or somebody could've slipped and fell, etc. We were just scared enough to enjoy it, not wise enough to know better. We thought taunting the bull to make him charge where we wanted him to go, and then getting away with it was the best fun in the world.

Thanks for the story, MarianJack.

The best revenge is to live well.

Only bad thing about this thread is that it made me hungry when the nearest available lobster is over 60 miles away.

Well, it's even worse when people make me miss Maine itself. I'd have retired up there in Calais except most of Maine's too expensive for me to live very well. At least here I can afford a nice big place and try to stay away from people I don't like, which happens to be quite a few. In Maine I'd be stuck in public housing maybe, and that would be hell to a semi-recluse like me. I require lots of space of my own and suffer an incurable need to garden, etc.